Child of Ares
by Geeks of the South
Summary: This is Jo from Geeks of the South. The two previous stories by our group were crossovers but I'm a rebel by nature so mine is just a plain old fanfic. What happens when Lex, demigod daughter of Ares, discovers just how powerful she really is? How will she react when she realizes her powers have not gone unnoticed? Read more to find out. Does not contain spoilers.
1. Chapter 1

****Lex****

I'd skipped school again. I have really bad ADHD as well as dyslexia so it's not like I can learn much anyway. I'd just snatched some rich guy's wallet and was heading to a gas station to buy some food. I bought a soda and a bag of beef jerky and slipped a few Ding Dongs into my jacket. In a back alley, I discarded the food wrappers and the guy's wallet but kept the cash and credit cards. I then started making my way to the closest bus stop.

I passed a fruit vendor and snagged an apple without the owner noticing then continued on my way, tossing the apple into the air and catching it while walking. A few cars passed me but I took no notice, they weren't threats. Just old junkers held together with hope, prayers, and lots of duct tape.

Suddenly, I felt like I was being watched. I glanced casually over my shoulder. There was no one behind me, but I noticed a fancy-looking car with dark-tinted windows. Way too nice for this neighborhood. I started to quicken my pace, hoping the car wasn't following me, but it just sped up slightly and continued to tail me. Thinking maybe the car belonged to a future employer, I stopped and stood by the road, waiting for the car to catch up. The car slowed to a stop right beside me and the back seat window rolled down, revealing a dark-haired woman dressed in one of those fancy business suits.

"Help you with somethin'?" I asked, leaning casually against a telephone pole, tossing and catching the stolen apple.

"I'm looking for someone," the woman replied.

"Who? Maybe I know 'em," I tossed the apple and caught it again, "Or maybe I don't."

The woman consulted a picture in her lap then looked at me. "I'm sure you know this person." She held up the picture and my smile froze on my face. It was a picture of me. "I'm looking for you, Alexa Dallas," she purred, using my real first name.

"Well, you've seen me. Gotta go now," I quipped then bolted away from the road and ducked into an alley.

 _People! I need to get to a public place._ _Whoever these people are, they won't be able to do anything to me in the middle of a crowd, no matter how powerful they are_ , I thought. I darted around a corner and almost trampled a guy in a dark suit. When he tried to grab me, I slammed my apple into his face as hard as I could. A sickening crack followed by a groan of pain told me I'd broken his nose, but I didn't hang around to make sure. I ran blindly toward the main part of the city, slipping into a strip mall as I heard gunshots behind me. _Damn, these guys mean business!_ I quickly hid myself in the crowd of shoppers, staying away from windows and security cameras. I made my way through the mall and snuck out into the back alley. A quick glance revealed no goons in suits so I walked cautiously back toward my bus stop. I looked at my watch and realized I only had five minutes to get there when a goon appeared in front of me.

"Hey! Stop right there!" he shouted.

"No thanks!" I called over my shoulder.

I ran back toward the mall, opened the back door that led to the employee break rooms, and walked right into another goon. He caught my arm in a vise-like grip and pulled a gun from his suit jacket. With the muzzle of the gun pressed into my back, I had nowhere to go. _Dammit!_

"C'mon. Let's go," he rumbled in my ear and led me down a side alley where the black car sat waiting.

One goon opened the back seat door while the guy who held me at gunpoint shoved me into the car and sat right next to me, his gun leveled at my chest. The interior of the car was lush and looked super expensive. Black leather upholstery, real wood paneling, giant flat-screen TV built into one wall, the whole nine yards.

I glared at the woman across from me, "What do you want from me? I don't have any money. My parents are dead and the foster family I'm living with wouldn't care if I go missing. You can't ransom me for anything."

The woman crossed her legs primly and smiled, "It's not what _I_ want from you, it's what my _employer_ wants from you. He's very," she paused as if looking for the right word, "Fascinated with you and would like to meet you in person."

"Go to hell," I spat, then pulled my gun and smashed it into the window, shattering it. The goon beside me emptied his gun into my side. With a soft gasp of surprise, I realized the gun didn't contain bullets, but rather, small darts filled with a powerful sedative. A wave of nausea washed over me as darkness crept across my vision.

I woke up in a huge bed with my right wrist cuffed to the bedpost above my head. My jacket and my gun were both missing and the knuckles of my left hand were bandaged. I tried to sit up but saw movement out of the corner of my eye. I glanced to my left and saw a man sleeping in a sitting position, his back propped against the headboard. _Crap_ _! This can't be happening. Please let this be a dream._ I mentally checked to make sure we were both fully dressed and that nothing had happened while I was unconscious. Nothing had and I let out a quiet sigh of relief. I tried to roll away, but the man stirred at the movement. Frustrated, I sat back and looked at the man beside me.

He was a few years older than me, maybe eighteen or nineteen, with short spiky blond hair and a soft, sleepy smile. His eyes opened slowly, revealing vibrant green eyes with golden flecks in the center around his pupils. _Damn. Focus, Lex._ I swallowed the panic that had been building in my chest and opened my mouth to speak but no words came. I licked my lips to wet them and tried again.

"Wh-who are you? Where...where am I?" I croaked.

The man's expression didn't change. Instead, he reached above my head and slowly traced the mark on the inside of my right wrist. "You are very special, Alexa," he murmured and brushed his thumb lightly across my bandaged hand.

"My name is Lex," I snapped and pulled away from his touch.

The man chuckled, "Lex, I know your secret. I know what you really are."

My heart picked up speed. _He knows? How?_ I sat up and looked at the man who continued to just sit peacefully. He watched me for a moment then leaned his head back and closed his eyes, "I know what that mark on your wrist means." _He's bluffing! He can't really know...can he?_

"Oh yeah? Just what exactly does does it mean?" I challenged.

The man opened his eyes and smiled. "It means," he said simply, "That you are a demigod. Specifically, a child of Ares, the Greek god of war, violence, battle-lust, et cetera."

I leaned my head back against the polished wood of the headboard and rubbed my marked wrist. My fingers lightly traced the outline of a knife and a handgun crossed in an "X" shape then drifted across the Greek words below the symbol. _Παιδί του Άρη._ _Child of Ares._ The man continued to watch me silently.

"Who are you?" I whispered.

"My name is David. And I am your new boss."

I laughed harshly, "That's hilarious. See, nobody bosses me around and lives long afterward. No one tells me what to do. I obey no one."

David smiled in a way that sent shivers down my spine, "Well then, I guess I'll just have to convince you to obey me. Trust me when I say that I can be very convincing."

Before David could move, I shifted my left hand into a gun and pressed it against his chest. Then I shifted my right hand into a knife and slipped my hand free from the handcuffs. Pressing the blade to David's exposed throat, I smiled coldly. The entire scuffle had taken about two seconds. Surprise showed on David's face and he seemed unable to look away from my weaponized hands. The flesh, bone, and blood of my arms transformed seamlessly at my wrists into the metal of my weapons. Skin and metal fusing perfectly together to form a weapon that was undetectable...until it was too late.

"If you value your life, I suggest you leave me alone," I said not even breathing heavily.

David smiled crookedly, "Not bad. In fact, I'm actually impressed."

"Go for the gun strapped to your leg, I rip your arm off. If you try for the knife in your pocket, I break all your ribs. Call for help and I slit your throat. Understood?" I hissed angrily as David's left hand slid toward his pocket. David's hand stilled and he nodded silently. "I'm going to walk out of here and if you or any of your goons try to stop me or follow me, I'll kill you all."

Just for good measure, I pistol-whipped David across the face hard enough to knock him out and chained him to the bedposts, like he'd done to me. After gagging him and making sure he was unable to get free, I opened the window and noiselessly slipped out into the night.

 **Hope you guys like the first chapter. Make sure to comment and let me know how I'm doing. ~Jo**


	2. Chapter 2

****David****

Pain crashed through my head and down my spine in waves. I opened my eyes slowly and looked around for the girl. This small movement sent a surge of fresh agony through my entire body. I spit a wad of cloth out of my mouth and groaned aloud. _Damn, she knew what she was doing._ My phone rang on the bedside table. I rolled to get it but was jerked to a stop by chains wrapped around my arms, legs, and chest.

"Son of a bitch!"

I replayed the events in my head. Her powers were absolutely remarkable. She could actually transform her whole hand, skin, bone, blood, and all, into a functioning weapon. I could use that power to do almost anything. Imagine an army with her gifts. Millions of dollars saved on weapons. Soldiers capable of carrying an entire arsenal of undetectable weapons through even the most stringent of security checks. I felt a slight smile playing on my lips. I could use something like her. I sat up, snapping the chains like they were threads.

"Lex," I whispered softly to myself, savoring the way her name rolls off my tongue. My phone had stopped ringing a while ago but it now renewed its struggle to capture my attention. I snatched it up and answered the call.

"Sir? We've picked up a disturbance."

That immediately got my attention. "You have a trace on her? Where is she?" I asked, hating the almost needy tone of my voice.

"She's on the move, sir. We're having trouble pinpointing her exact location, but we can narrow it down to a five-mile radius," the soldier on the phone responded.

I felt my blood race and my breathing quicken in anticipation of the hunt. "Good. Keep me updated. I'll be there soon. No one, I repeat, no one is to engage or make themselves visible. Is that clear?"

The soldier snapped off a sharp "Yes sir!" then ended the call. I could hardly contain my impatience to start the chase. My entire body practically thrummed with energy. _A real hunt! And after I win, I will have the most powerful weapon imaginable at my command._ I grabbed Lex's leather jacket and a shirt from the closet, pulled on the shirt, then left the building and walked down the street. I stopped at a closed pawn shop and let myself into the back room.

"You are late," a gruff voice with a slight Russian accent announces as I enter.

I turned to the owner of the voice, "Sergei. Are you and your men ready? She's dangerous."

"Me and my men can handle one little bitch, no problem," Sergei said as he reloaded his gun.

"She's not to be harmed. I want her alive and undamaged, Sergei," I said, growling softly in warning. The Russian's grip on his gun tightened slightly as if he had forgotten what I was capable of. I heard his breathing and heart rate pick up speed as the scent of his fear grew stronger. Sergei nodded silently and quickly left the store.

I smiled slightly to myself, remembering when Sergei first found out what I really was, but then quickly pushed the memories aside. I needed to focus on the hunt. If even the slightest detail was overlooked, the whole plan would fail. The worn leather of her jacket felt silken in my hands. I raised the jacket to my face and took a deep breath, filling my nostrils with her scent. Then, the pain came.

 **Hope this isn't too much of a cliffhanger for you guys! ~Jo**


	3. Chapter 3

****Lex****

The job. I had to finish the job. Keller won't be happy if I don't finish on time. Not that I cared about his happiness, but he promised a bonus if I finished tonight. I found the right address and scaled the building quickly, using the fire escapes and window ledges. When I reached the roof, I picked the lock of the roof access door and slipped inside silently.

After pausing for just a second to let my eyes adjust to the gloom of the building, I went down the stairwell until I came to apartment number 203. Using the key provided by Keller, I entered the apartment undetected and went straight to the bedroom area. A man and woman were sleeping soundly in the bed, barely stirring. The sound of their slow, soft breaths seemed to almost calm me as I placed Keller's calling card, a black rose, in the sleeping woman's hand. Then I went around to the other side of the bed where I looked at my target.

With a soft snapping and crackling sound, my right hand withered and stretched before hardening and sharpening into knife blade that sprouted from my wrist. Normally, this shift would have taken less than a fraction of a second but I had purposefully slowed the transformation. I enjoyed watching the way my body could make itself into a deadly weapon.

The moonlight from the window glinted dully on the blade. I felt my heart race in anticipation of the kill. I stood over the sleeping man who had no knowledge of the danger he was in. One quick movement ended his life. A deadly jab, in and out. I knelt beside his sleeping body and watched as he bled out noiselessly, his life soaking into the sheets.

I looked at the blood on my blade-hand; scarlet smeared on silver metal. Mesmerized, I followed the blood's path with my eyes as it dripped down the blade and slowly congealed where my flesh fused into metal. I felt light and giddy, the kind of heady excitement that comes with a kill. I felt like laughing but I shook myself. I needed to go pick up my money. Noiselessly, the blade reverted back to my hand which I curled into a fist. I left the apartment and locked the door behind me then stole silently back up to the roof of the building.

On the roof, I cleaned my hands and disposed of Keller's key and the blood-stained rag. Then I made my way leisurely to a coffee shop called Kyle's Koffee. Inside, there were three people; a sleepy looking cashier and a teenaged couple making out in a corner booth. I walked up to the front and leaned on the counter.

"Hi, uh," I glanced at the guy's name tag, "Henry? I need to speak to your supervisor."

The cashier looked at me, surprised, then became wary, "You wanna speak to the supervisor?"

I rolled my eyes, "That's what I said, didn't I?"

"You have an appointment?"

Annoyed, I asked, "He's in the back, right?" then hopped over the counter and headed for the 'Employees Only' door. The cashier was dumbfounded, but recovered fast enough, and came after me.

"You can't go in there! That's only for employees!"

I spun around, shifted my left hand into a pistol in midair, and grabbed the guy, ramming my gun-hand into his ribs. "I'm doing a job for Keller and if he finds out that you didn't let me pass, he's going to be pissed with you. He'll get so pissed, in fact, that he might even ask me to kill you and dump your body somewhere you'll never be found. So you're going to let me pass or I'm going to shoot you right here. Right now," I whispered harshly in his ear.

The man looked like he was going to either pee himself or pass out from fear but he nodded quickly. I pushed him out of the way, shifted my hand back to normal, and went into the back room.

"Ah, here comes my favorite employee," boomed a deep Southern voice.

"I don't work for you, Keller," I spat, "I'm doing you a favor."

"Aww, c'mon now, doll. Don' be like that," Keller replied, feigning hurt, his voice sickeningly sweet.

"Give me my money."

"Have a seat, doll," Keller purred, gesturing to a chair across the table from him.

I contemplated telling him where he could take the chair and shove it, but I clamped down on my temper and sat. Keller was a crime boss, not the most powerful one, but pretty high up there. Lots of enemies. Lots of money. He was dressed in a grey suit with a red tie. Clean-shaven, brown hair and eyes, mid-forties, a good six inches taller than me and about twice my size, but not fat. He flashed his sugary smile again.

"Well?" he drawled, his Southern accent syrupy.

I looked him right in the eye, "The job is done. You'll hear all the details in the paper tomorrow."

Keller smiled broadly, "Good job, doll."

"Call me 'doll' one more time and I will rip out your throat with my bare hands. That is not a threat, it's a promise," I said coldly.

Keller's smile faded, "That's not a very nice thang to say. Just for that, ya lose the bonus."

"Pay me the fifty grand for the job and the fifty grand bonus or I won't be happy. And trust me, if you want to live, you'd better hope I stay happy."

Keller laughed at what he thought was an empty threat and motioned to the goon on his left. The goon drew his gun and moved toward me. Before he reached me, he was on his back in the floor, bleeding out quickly from several stab wounds in his upper body. Blood dripping from my right blade-hand, I turned and faced Keller's second goon who had already drawn his gun and squeezed off two shots. _BANG! BANG!_ The two bullets hit me square in the chest then ricocheted, jerking me back half a step.

I looked at the goon in shock which quickly turned to anger. The bullets had ripped holes in my shirt but the skin underneath remained unscathed. The goon and Keller stared at me in horror and amazement. I never get hurt by any weapon because I'm one of Ares' kids. I also never lose in a fight.

"You shot me!" I said, incredulous. _This guy has some balls!_

I ran toward the goon who was already bringing his gun up for another shot. I ducked under the gun and stabbed upward with my knife-hand. The blade went under the man's chin and buried itself in his brain matter, bursting through the top of his skull. I freed my blade from the guy's head and kicked the body away from me.

"Give me my money, or your next," I started toward Keller slowly.

He gasped in horror. "What the hell is wrong with you!? You ain't human! You're some kinda' demon-bitch!"

I chuckled softly. Keller was now whiter than the tile on the floor of the restaurant as he backed away from me cautiously. He tripped over the body of one of his goons and fell on his ass. I walked toward him as he crawled backwards.

"C'mon now...I was just kiddin'! I'll pay ya' twice as much, doll. Please!" he whimpered.

"I tried to tell you that you wouldn't like it if I wasn't happy, but you just wouldn't listen. I made you a promise, remember? And I always keep my promises," I murmured, watching as Keller's horror grew.

I shifted my left hand into a long knife and shifted my right hand back to normal. With the left blade, I stabbed Keller in the thigh with enough force that the blade lodged in the floor, pinning him down and preventing him from moving. Keller screamed in agony and cursed me over and over. I grinned, relishing his cries of pain and anguish. I held Keller's neck in my right hand and slowly applied pressure. Keller's screams were replaced by choking noises and then a wet gurgling sound as I ripped his throat out. My left hand shifted back to normal and I wiped my blood-covered hands on my jeans, looking at the carnage around me.

"Holy shit!"

My head snapped up toward the noise. The cashier, Henry, stood in the doorway staring at the mangled bodies strewn across the floor. My hand was up and in the form of a gun before Henry could blink. He paled and his eyes widened in horror and surprise.

"Sorry, it's nothing personal but I can't let you live," I said softly and fired the gun.

The cashier crumpled to the floor, a bullet hole situated perfectly between his eyes, an expression of shock on his face. _A painless death,_ I thought. I stepped over his body and hopped over the counter. The teenaged couple in the corner booth had stopped making out and stared at me, wide-eyed. I realized my clothes were torn and splattered with blood but I didn't care; it would make my story all the more convincing. I stumbled over to them, an expression of wide-eyed horror plastered on my face.

"Oh god!" I wailed, "Oh my god! They all just started shooting at each other! It was awful! Everyone's dead! Please! Call the cops! Oh god, they're all dead!"

With that Oscar-winning performance I rolled my eyes up into my head and collapsed. I heard the girl freaking out and I felt the guy's fingers on my wrist and neck, searching for a pulse. I slowed my breathing until it was almost nonexistent and I made my heart almost stop beating.

"I can't find her pulse!" the guy shouted, "Mandy call the 911!"

"Oh my gawd! She's dead!" his girlfriend bawled as she dialed the number, "Let's get out of here, John!"

Both of them ran from the coffee shop. As soon as they had exited the building, I sat up and laughed. Going into the back room again, I searched around until I found the safe containing my money. After I'd emptied the safe, I found a long bulky coat in a dumpster outside which I put on to cover my bloodstained clothes, then I hailed a cab.

"Where to?" the cab driver asked once I'd gotten in.

"Second-closest motel, please," I mumbled.

The cab driver turned around and looked at me, frowning, "How old are you? What are you doing out so late at night?"

I adopted an expression of fear and sadness. "My boyfriend got drunk again and started beating me. I-I ran away but he and his friends have been chasing me. Please, I just need somewhere to stay for the night. I have money...please," I lied, my voice quavering, shivering slightly for effect.

The grizzled man's face softened somewhat, "Okay, but tomorrow you need to call the cops on that boy. You don't got to let him beat up on you."

I nodded as he put the cab into drive and we drove in silence to the Moonlight Motel. I got out, paid him and thanked him. Once he had driven off, I went to the front desk and got a room, paying for it with the stolen credit card. Still dressed in the bulky coat and bloody clothes, I walked across the street to a small convenience store and bought some cheap clothes. Inside my room, I showered until the hot water ran out. Then I dressed in a cotton shirt and shorts and collapsed on the bed. I was asleep almost before my head hit the pillow.

 **I'm posting these first three chapters just to see how well this works out. If you guys end up liking my story, I'll try to post a new chapter at least every Monday. ~Jo**


	4. Chapter 4

****David****

I bounded through the woods, leaping over fallen trees and weaving past broken branches. My blood roared in my ears and I felt like howling my excitement but that would have given away my position. I was hunting. A real hunt with a worthy adversary. I had long since passed the rest of my men and my chest heaved from the exertion. I briefly considered stopping and resting but I was fueled by adrenaline and by my desire to hunt. The men would follow me at their own pace. We were all inside the five-mile radius of where the girl was last sighted. She was close, I felt it.

"Sir, she was last seen at a Kyle's Koffee. We're getting in reports of gunshots and screams coming from the building about twenty minutes ago. Four bodies were found, all male; one had his throat ripped out and another had a bullet hole centered exactly between his eyes," a soldier said as he cautiously approached me.

 _That's got to be her!_ I thought

I looked straight ahead into the forest, listening for a moment. Then I nodded towards the left and took off into the brush. I heard the soldier relaying commands into his comlink and the sounds of my men as they corrected their course. They were trying to move stealthily but I could hear them crashing through the undergrowth. I growled softly in annoyance.

Suddenly, the wail of sirens reached my ears. I slunk through the trees until I came to the road. A few blocks down I could see the flashing of police lights. I took a few slow, deep breaths to calm my heart rate and closed my eyes. Pain rippled down my spine and I winced slightly, feeling my skin and muscles stretch slowly. After a moment, the pain passed.

I crossed the street and made my way leisurely to the crime scene. Barricades had been set up around the building to keep curious crowds at bay, even though very few people were actually awake at this time of night. Several police cars and officers were situated around the perimeter of the building as the bodies were loaded into the medical examiner's van.

"Excuse me, sir. This is a crime scene. I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

I turned to see a police officer making his way towards me. I put an anxious look on my face and ran to him. "Was there a girl in there? My girlfriend was supposed to meet me here. Have you seen her? Is she alive? Is she ok? Please, officer, do you know where she is?" I asked desperately.

The officer shook his head, "We found four bodies, all of them were male. Now we did bring a girl in for questioning. Long blond hair, brown eyes, about five foot tall. That your girlfriend?"

I let my face fall, "No. Sorry to have bothered you, officer."

The officer nodded and walked off. I felt like ripping the head off of someone. I'd missed her! She wasn't here and I didn't know where to find her. A small gust of wind breezed down the street, wafting a familiar smell my way. I stopped in my tracks. It was her. I'd found her scent. I laughed quietly to myself and started following the trail.

The sun was just starting to peek above the horizon as I stopped in front of a small, squat building called the Moonlight Motel. The scent was strongest at room 16. I stood at the door and inhaled silently. She was definitely inside. I heard her breathing, soft and regular. She was asleep. I smiled. _Gotcha_. Silently, I picked the door's lock and slipped into the room.

Lex was lying in the bed on top of the covers, her hair still damp from a shower. She looked younger somehow, more relaxed and innocent, angelic even. It seemed almost a crime to wake her. I lifted a cloth bundle out of my pocket and set it gently on the bed. Without waking Lex, I unwrapped the bundle, revealing dull metal shackles that were so dark gray, they looked black.

I felt Lex start to sense my presence. Before she could wake up, I clamped the shackles around her wrists. Lex's eyes flew open. She leapt, her hands outstretched towards me, ready to slit my throat when suddenly she stopped. Lex stared at her hands. She flexed them and turned them around slowly, her face full of surprise.

"Son of a-what the hell did you do to me?" Lex's hazel eyes blazed with anger.

I tapped the metal cuffs and smiled crookedly, "Stygian iron. The one thing that contains your Olympian-like powers."

"I don't need my powers to kill you, asshole," Lex said then lunged at me.

I easily sidestepped and looked at her, amused. Lex looked taken aback that I had evaded her so effortlessly. I smiled again, "It also slows you down, dampens your senses and makes your reflexes almost nonexistent."

Lex glared at me with barely contained fury, "What the hell do you want? If you want me to kill someone, you can just pay me. You don't have to kidnap me, damn it."

"Your abilities intrigue me. I'm very interested in how they work."

"Take these cuffs off me and I'll show you how they work," Lex muttered.

"Maybe later," I laughed, "But now, I'm going to take you somewhere where you can learn some manners. You should know better than to disrespect your commanding officer, Dallas."

Lex stiffened and the anger in her eyes transformed into stubbornness, "Do whatever you want to me, I'll never obey you, you son of a bitch."

I sighed and shook my head slowly. Men poured into the motel room and drug Lex into a waiting van. She fought them as best she could but they overwhelmed her. I felt a small pang in my chest. This girl was the closest thing to my equal that had ever walked the earth. It would be such a shame to have to break her. But she _would_ break because I always win. No matter the cost.


	5. Chapter 5

****Lex****

I awoke with a start and looked around me. I was in a small, gray, windowless cell, my hands cuffed in front of me and chained to a wall. I tried shifting my hands into a gun, a knife, anything, but to no avail. _That bastard! I'll kill him! I'll rip his guts out and make him eat them!_ Pain, dull and constant, throbbed in my back, near my right shoulder blade.

"Damn it!" I muttered under my breath.

Trying to find the source of the pain, I pulled my right sleeve off my shoulder and looked at my back. Tattooed on my right shoulder blade was a black skull with thin gold designs etched into it. Below the skull were the words 'Servant of Hades' in Greek.

"Aw shit!" I cursed.

I tried to crawl towards the door in hopes of finding a way out but my shoulder flared painfully at the movement. I bit my lip to keep from moaning in pain. I wouldn't give them the satisfaction of seeing me down. Steeling myself, I laid down on the floor and proceeded to do push-ups. My shoulder protested painfully but I kept my face a mask of non-emotion. After about a hundred push-ups, I got up and started doing sit ups. When the pain had started to lessen slightly, I laid down on the flimsy cot in the corner of the cell. My eyes closed involuntarily.

"Well, glad to see you're comfortable."

I folded my hands behind my head and smiled slightly, not opening my eyes, "Yeah, it's a real classy place you got here, douche-bag."

"My men have told me that you've noticed our newest security measure," David's voice was colder this time.

My eyes opened slowly. "You are going to wish you'd stayed the hell away from me."

"Stand up."

I got to my feet leisurely and looked at David, my expression bored. "Whatcha gonna do now, huh? Boss me around? Play soldiers, bastard?"

David smiled coldly, "That's exactly what I'm going to do. Now, kneel." I stood, stiff-backed and defiant, refusing to obey him. "I said, kneel," he repeated, "That is an order."

When I didn't move, pain shot through my right arm and spread through my body, coming from the tattoo. I gasped in surprise but quickly bit my lip, keeping the pain hidden.

David watched me, "You are disobeying your commanding officer. Kneel."

The pain coming from the tattoo tripled, dizzying in its intensity. I grunted in pain then stumbled and fell to my knees, cradling my right arm gently. My breath came in short, ragged gasps interspersed with soft whimpers of pain. The edges of my vision blurred as I felt a hand under my chin, tilting my face upward gently. David was looking down at me with a look of almost pity.

"Lex, don't do this to yourself. Obey me and you'll be rewarded. You can have anything you want. Your heart's desire. Just accept my orders...please," David murmured softly, a pained look on his face.

"Go to hell," I hissed between clenched teeth.

David's expression hardened, "I've lived there most of my life. It's lost its homey feel by now."

He raised his hand and I flinched slightly, expecting him to beat me, but he simply touched my burning shoulder. The pain immediately vanished and I collapsed onto the floor where I curled into a ball. With surprising strength and gentleness, David lifted me up and laid me on the small cot in the corner.

"Rest. When you wake up, you'll be stronger."

Puzzled by his kindness but too exhausted to question his motives, I let unconsciousness take me.

"You're letting your emotions get in the way. You are disobeying my orders. All for what? Some bitch of Ares'? If she's as important as I think, I should just kill her now. That would be a blow to Ares and his cocky ego."

I didn't recognize the voice but it sounded like the man was in my cell so I pretended to be asleep while I kept listening.

"No! You can't kill her. Not...not yet. She's been branded as yours. What better way to bruise Ares' pride than to have his strongest and most powerful child a servant to his enemy? I can train her and make her a better and more powerful weapon. Think of what you could do with her on our side, father."

 _That's David! Arguing with his father? Who's his father?_ I opened my eyes just a crack and saw David standing before a tall, skeletal man with pale skin dressed in a black billowy robe that seemed to shimmer and shift as if the material was alive. _He looks like Hades. What the hell!?_ The black-robed man turned swiftly towards me. I slammed my lids shut and forced my breathing to be slow and regular.

Cold, thin fingers trailed slowly down my arm and I suppressed a shudder of revulsion. Suddenly the tattoo on my shoulder flared to life and sent an indescribable amount of pain through my body. I arched my back and screamed in agony, my eyes flying open. The corpse-like man smiled at my pain and clamped his hand around my arm, making the pain that was coursing through me strengthen. I couldn't control my body, I thrashed wildly, I screamed in anguish and begged for mercy in English and Greek.

Hades released me and the pain disappeared. "You are mine, bitch. You belong to me. You are my slave and you will obey your master."

I laid on the cot, gasping for breath. I felt a wave of nausea pass through me so I jerked my head over the edge of the cot as my stomach heaved violently. I retched uselessly, my empty stomach convulsing as I had not eaten in days. Coughing and gasping, I laid back down, utterly exhausted.

Hades watched me silently then glanced at David, who was standing not too far from me, and smiled coldly. I was floating upright, a foot above the floor with a wave of Hades' hand. He walked in a slow circle around me then stopped behind me. In my delirious state of pain, I knew I should be afraid but I was just numb. I faintly felt the right sleeve of my shirt being ripped off and the cold fingers that pressed into my branded shoulder. Pain electrified my body, making me jerk slightly, but then that to was gone. My mind submitted and my body accepted its fate.

 **Sorry to leave you guys hanging. It gets better, I promise. ~Jo**


	6. Chapter 6

****David****

I watched horrified, but unable to move, as Lex's motionless body hung suspended in midair. My father was watching me with a darkly satisfied expression. Lex's body fell and collapsed into a limp pile of flesh on the floor. I forced myself to walk, and not run, to her. I stood over her silently, watching for signs of life. I could hear her heart beat faintly. Other than that, she looked comatose. I turned to curse my father but he had disappeared.

I knelt down beside Lex and gently lifted her head into my lap. I stroked her long black hair and wished with all my heart that she would open her eyes. Lex's body convulsed violently. She sat up quickly, coughing, her hair curtained around her face.

"Lex? Are you okay?" I asked hesitantly, placing a hand on her back.

Lex spun to look at me and my heart turned to stone. Her gorgeous hazel eyes had changed horribly. It looked like her pupils and grown until they swallowed the iris and even the whites of her eyes. Both of her eyes were completely and entirely black.

"What's wrong, son? Expecting someone else?" she sneered in my father's voice.

"Hades, leave her alone. I found her and I want her. She's mine. She's the most powerful weapon alive. Destroying her would be a mistake."

Hades, in Lex's body, made an innocent face, "Only because she's a weapon? Are you sure there's no other reason? The last thing you need is an exploitable weakness, David."

"No," I said coldly.

"Oh, come now. You and I both know that's a lie. Yes she's pretty but so are millions of other girls. In fact, you can have your pick of the most beautiful girls in the world, all of them better-looking than this one." Lex raised a hand, black smoke trailing from her fingertips to form a viewing portal filled with images of gorgeous women.

I watched the portal for a few seconds then turned to my father and shrugged indifferently, "I've never had a demigod before, I'm curious. I want to try something new, and if it ends up falling short of my expectations, you still have your weapon."

"Sounds fair," Lex nodded as the viewing portal dissipated. She threw her head back violently with a cry of pain and a thick column of black smoke poured from her open mouth. After the smoke had expelled itself from her body, Lex collapsed noiselessly. I walked to her unconscious form and looked down at her. _She looks so helpless_. I shoved those feelings away at the thought of my father's words.

I raised my hand and my energy, bright green strands of pure light, wrapped itself around Lex's limp form. With less than a thought, the energy lifted Lex off the floor and kept her hovering face up at waist level. I walked out of the small gray cell and down the corridor, Lex hovering a foot behind me. I made my way to my room and laid Lex on the huge bed, energy unraveling from around her soundlessly.

Then I sat on the edge of the bed beside her and took her hand in mine. Slowly, so as not to wake her, I gently pressed my energy through the cracks in her mental barriers. Her subconscious felt the intrusion and tried to force me out but was too weak. Carefully, I waited as Lex's energy let mine in reluctantly. Once she had accepted my energy, I went to work repairing her wounds, very few of which were visible from the outside. The extent of her injuries angered me but I shut out all emotions except the desire to heal the broken body lying beside me.

 **Sorry this chapter is so short. I'll try to post a longer one next week. ~Jo**


	7. Chapter 7

****Lex****

I jolted upright, my heart pounding in my chest, breathing heavily. It was pitch black, wherever I was. I looked around wildly, the feeling of claustrophobia making my breath come in ragged gasps for air.

"Oh shit! Hey, hey, easy. Easy! Calm down, it's okay. I've got you, you're going to be fine," David's voice came from the blackness to my right as a set of hands caught my flailing arms and firmly pressed them to my sides.

"It's dark, I can't see. What did you do to me?" I whimpered, unable to hide the fear in my voice.

A pause then, "Hades…I'm not sure exactly what he did. I can try to heal you, but I don't think I'm strong enough."

I felt a gentle and slightly calloused hand cover my eyes then I felt the warmth of David's energy as it slowly seeped into me. I waited silently, my claustrophobia growing from anxiety to panic. I felt the uneasiness of David's energy and I knew there was something wrong. I jerked away from David's touch and lashed out at him with a fist.

David caught my arm and pulled me toward him. I was yanked off-balance and threw out a free hand to catch myself. I collided harmlessly with David's heavily-muscled torso. His arms wrapped around me, preventing me from pulling away.

"Stop fighting me. I'm trying to help you, damn it," David growled, a deeply primal sound that I felt rumble through his chest. I froze. _Had he actually growled?_ _What the hell?_

"W-what was that?"

"If I tell you, will you stop fighting me?" David asked. I nodded silently and he released me cautiously. When he was satisfied that I wasn't going to try to escape he began. "When I was younger, I was captured by a race of people who were descendants of King Lycaon, the king who was turned into a wolf by Zeus. These children of Lycaon, they called themselves 'Lycans,' had inherited Lycaon's wolf form. They could transform themselves into wolves at will and, as humans, they still retain some of their wolf-like traits. They also gained enhanced hearing, vision, sense of smell, and healing abilities. They have a very strong predatory instinct and a pack mentality. These Lycans can force their curse onto others by forcing their victims to ingest a mixture of the Lycan's blood and saliva. In this exchange, the Lycans enjoy drinking the blood of their prisoners. It has no nutritional value, but it is their custom and some have even developed an affinity for the taste of blood."

I shuddered involuntarily, "That sounds brutal."

"It is. Anyway, when I was younger, I was captured by those bastards. During the short time I spent as their prisoner, they had forced their curse on me. My fa-Hades rescued me but it was too late. They had already turned me. Hades considered me ruined and worthless, 'tainted' he'd said. He practically disowned me. He told me he didn't want me to 'contaminate his reputation.' As if him being the fricking god of death and ruler of the fricking Underworld wasn't enough. The point is, I'm one of them," David admitted.

"But why are you telling me this?" I asked, trying my best to scoot away from David inconspicuously but unable to see if he was looking at me.

David's hand clamped onto my wrist instantly and I swung at him with my free hand. I missed and silently cursed Hades for robbing me of my vision. David caught my other hand and shoved me onto my back. I tried to get up but David had both my wrists pinned above my head with one hand. I struggled but it seemed the more I moved, the tighter David's grip became.

"Are you done yet?" David asked, and I could tell by his tone of voice that he was smiling.

"Screw you," I told him, straining against him.

I felt him lean down until his lips were brushing the side of my face. "Oh no, I'm going to screw _you_ ," he laughed softly into my ear.

Panic flooded me and I struggled against his hold more forcefully. It made little difference, no matter how hard I fought. I went limp and resigned myself to my fate, gathering my strength. Fingertips brushed lightly along my jawline. My body betrayed me, shivering slightly with pleasure, even as I opened my mouth to curse David.

Before I could utter a word, David clamped his mouth over mine, silencing my protests. His lips were warm and his kiss was intoxicating, I felt myself losing control. The cool, airy feeling of energy wrapping around my wrists started to bring clarity, then he buried a hand in my hair.

David finally broke the kiss, his breathing heavy. I had barely drawn a breath when I felt David slide two fingers slide down my throat. I stiffened slightly and my breath caught. David chuckled darkly. Fear mixed with desire spread through my body. David kissed me deeply then pulled back. I lay still, trying to catch my breath.

"Here," David ran a damp finger along my lips. The sharp, coppery scent of blood filled my nostrils.

I tried to restrain myself but I couldn't stop. My tongue darted out and tasted the liquid that David had placed on my lips. The warm, thick taste of blood blossomed on the tip of my tongue.

"That's it," David murmured, "Just a little more."

David ran his blood-coated finger over my lips then kissed me again. Suddenly, an earsplitting noise filled my head and I yelped in pain. I curled into a ball, covering my ears with my hands. As the pain in my skull reached an unbearable pitch, I felt myself slipping into unconsciousness.

 **So sorry that I missed posting a chapter Monday. Crazy-busy week at school. I'll post two today to make up for it. ~Jo**


	8. Chapter 8

****David****

I watched as Lex slept fitfully, tossing and turning as she underwent the change. Every time she whimpered in pain, I wanted to reach out and comfort her. I wanted to take away her pain but I couldn't. If I did, it could kill her.

I regretted my decision to turn her. She might not be strong enough to survive the transformation. I had rushed into this too recklessly. The metamorphosis might not even restore her vision. _I'm so stupid! What the hell was I thinking!?_ So I watched helplessly as Lex whimpered and moaned in pain, shuddering and shivering, her body no longer under her control.

The adjustment lasted all night and went into the next day. Lex had finally stopped thrashing and her cries of pain had diminished. She was sleeping deeply, her body trying to recover from such a brutal battle with itself.

"David?"

I went to Lex, leaning over her as she looked around, confused. Her face was pale and drawn, her clothes damp with sweat, her hands cold and shaking. Seeing her in such a weakened state awakened in me a fierce desire to protect her with my life.

"I'm right here," I murmured softly.

"I...I can see," Lex whispered, her voice hoarse from screaming.

I looked at her face and saw that she seemed to be tracking my movements. Then my heart fell. Her eyes were still marred; the soft, hazel color permanently replaced with inky pools of darkness.

"What's wrong?" she asked, seeing the look on my face.

"I…" I shook my head, unable to continue.

Lex stumbled out of bed and made her way to the bathroom. I followed her silently. She stood in front of the mirror, looking at her reflection with an expression of horror on her face. She spun and faced me, eyes darkening with pain and anger.

"What the hell did you do to me?" she demanded.

"I didn't...It wasn't me. My fa-Hades...possessed you. The only reason you're not a pile of ash is because you're a demigod. When an Olympian possesses a demigod, it usually doesn't harm the demigod. But, because Hades is one of the three strongest Olympians, your body was damaged slightly," I tried to explain calmly.

"Slightly!?" Lex shouted, her voice containing a hint of hysteria. She shifted her hand into a 9mm Glock and fired a shot into the mirror, sending glass shards everywhere. Then she turned the gun on me, "Fix it. Now!"

"Lex, calm-" I didn't get a chance to finish as she emptied the chamber into my stomach. I sighed and looked at Lex in amusement as the pulpy mass of my middle healed almost instantly. Lex lowered her gun and looked at me, surprise on her face.

"How did you do that?" she asked.

"Enhanced healing ability. Compliments of the Lycans."

Her expression hardened and she fired two shots into my face. The force of the bullets snapped my head back. I rubbed my forehead and looked at Lex as the wounds healed in seconds, "That tickled." Lex looked furious and fired a few shots into my chest. I growled, annoyed now, "Would you stop doing that?"

"What do you want from me?" Lex snarled, then seemed taken aback that she had actually snarled, "Oh gods, no. You son of a bitch! What have you done!?"

I smiled crookedly, "Now, you're like me."

"I'll never be like you." Lex swore then put the muzzle of the gun into her mouth and fired. Her head jerked backward violently and she collapsed onto the floor.

"Shit!" I cursed, astonished that she'd actually killed herself. I knelt in the broken glass beside her body.

Suddenly Lex's entire body convulsed and her eyes opened slowly, "Am I dead?" She saw my face and groaned, her eyes closing again, "Damn."

I chuckled at her reaction to still being alive and pulled Lex to her feet. She glared daggers at me, a low growl coming from the back of her throat. Her eyes seemed to burn darker when she was angry, scared, or in pain.

"Now that you're done with all the drama, I'm going to teach you how to control the predatory side of yourself. It might be dangerous but I'm sure that won't be a problem for you," I smirked.

Lex rolled her eyes and flipped me the bird. I laughed then led her out of my room and through the house. Watching her out of the corner of my eye, I noticed how uncomfortable she looked surrounded by all the luxuries that I had always taken advantage of. She kept hunching her shoulders and shoving her hands into her pockets. The large cotton shirt she was wearing made her look thinner and smaller.

I stopped by the main door and pulled Lex's leather jacket from the coat closet. She practically yanked the jacket from my hands and put it on, her posture relaxing almost immediately. Lex followed me outside as I opened the door and walked out onto the yard.

 **Hope you guys enjoy my story so far. Let me know if you have any questions, comments, tips or criticism. ~Jo**


	9. Chapter 9

****Lex****

The moment I left the doorway of the mansion, the sounds, sights, and smells assaulted me. I could hear the heartbeats of every single person for miles around, the sunlight blinded me with its overpowering brightness, the scents of millions of different items, all battering me, overloading my senses until I thought my head would explode. I feel to the ground and curled into a ball, squeezing my eyes shut and clamping my hands over my ears, ineffectually trying to block out the stimulus of the information buffeting my heightened senses.

I was vaguely aware of David standing over me but I was in too much pain to focus on him. Then, I heard his calm, soothing voice inside my head.

"Relax, just breathe. Focus on me. Listen to my voice, shut everything else out. Trust me, Lex."

My mind clung to his words like a drowning man would cling to a rope. Slowly, everything faded into the background except for him. I focused my entire being on David; his rhythmic, steady heartbeat, the warmth radiating from his body, the faint, woodsy smell of the forest clinging to him.

I hesitantly opened my eyes and sat up. I could still hear, see, and smell everything but it was no longer an overpowering wave of details, it was simply an underlying buzz. David was squatting in front of me, an expression of mild concern on his face, "You okay?"

I nodded and got to my feet, only slightly unsteady. David stood with me and placed a supporting hand on the small of my back. I looked around with awe.

"I can see everything. I can hear their heartbeats. I can smell so many things," I whispered, taking it all in.

David smiled, "After a few weeks, your senses will get stronger and you'll be able to use them constantly."

The thought of using my enhanced abilities thrilled me but then I remembered how I'd gotten these abilities and I felt a growl build low in my throat. David removed his hand from my back and took a step back. I faced him, my fists clenched, the growl rising in volume.

"You stay the hell away from me or I swear I'll kill you."

David's eyes narrowed, "I own you, I'll do what I want."

"Nobody owns me," I snarled and lunged at him.

In mid air, pain sliced through my body, rippling down my spine. My body had transformed into that of a huge wolf. _Holy shit!_ I landed on all fours and snapped at David. He struck at me and I caught his arm in my mouth, sinking my teeth into his flesh. David cursed me, the golden flecks on his eyes growing larger. I shook my head viciously from side to side and heard the bones in his arm snap and crack as I bit down with powerful jaws. David ripped free and stumbled back a few steps, cradling his arm as it began to heal.

"You'll pay for that," he growled, his eyes almost completely gold now.

I bared my fangs and snarled, daring him to attack me. I circled David slowly, darting in and nipping his legs every few rotations. David spun and tried to keep his back away from me, dodging some of my attacks, but not all. I continued to circle him, my anger boiling in the pit of my stomach. I wanted to rip his limbs from his body and spread his entrails across the lawn.

David's eyes turned completely gold. He bared his teeth and lunged at me, shifting into a huge gray wolf. I darted to the side and raked my claws along his flank as he jumped past me. David landed off-balance and stumbled slightly. I rushed in and shredded his ear with my teeth. David yelped in pain then bit my shoulder. I shrugged him off. He growled at me, ears flat to his head, fangs bared.

Hackles raised, I growled back at him as he dropped into a crouch. We circled each other cautiously, snarling and snapping. I waited until David turned his weak side towards me then I struck. I shot forward, taking David by surprise. I ploughed into him with my body, knocking him onto his back. Before he could roll over, I wrapped my jaws around his throat. David froze, fear evident in his golden eyes. David shifted back into his human form, but I maintained my grip on his neck.

"Are you going to kill me?" he asked, his eyes returning to their normal color.

I snapped my jaws shut and shook David viciously. His neck snapped in two but I continued to swing his lifeless body about like a ragdoll. When I could no longer hear his heart beating, I dropped David onto the grass and bolted into the woods.


	10. Chapter 10

****David****

I woke up on the freezing cold stone floor of a cell. It was dark and musty The air was filled with screams of tortured souls. I sat up stiffly and looked towards the door of my cell. By the pale light coming through the bars, I could see a pile of bones beside the door. I stared at the bones, willing them to reshape themselves.

The bones rattled and clattered, moving together like the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. Soon, a fully formed skeleton stood at the gate of my cell. The inside of the chest cavity of the skeleton was filled with a smoky black substance, a soul under Hades' command, that writhed and twisted in its bony cage

"Tell Hades that I'm awake and pissed and that he better let me out of here soon," I said to the skeleton.

The skeleton guard, or rather the spirit inside it, replied, "Yes sir."

The guard walked off, its bones clacking loudly on the stone floor. I leaned my head back against the wall, an arm resting on my knee, and closed my eyes. Coming back from the dead is hard on my body, even though I am the son of Hades. Usually I lose some of my memory, so the first few days after I come back are the toughest. Hopefully, Hades won't keep me caged down here in the Underworld for too long. I need to find Lex and teach her a lesson.

I must have dozed off because suddenly I heard the click of keys in a lock and the shriek of the cell door being opened. I stood up and saw the same skeleton at the door. It's jaw opened and closed as the soul trapped inside it spoke.

"Lord Hades has granted your request and will allow you to speak with him in the throneroom."

I rolled my eyes and left the cell, annoyed at my father. I walked down several twisting and turning passages and halls until I came to the doors of the throneroom. I brushed past the skeletons guarding the doors and entered without waiting for an introduction.

My father, Hades, sat in his throne. His throne was a large, high-backed chair carved from obsidian with gold and silver veins running through the rock and gems embedded in the armrests and back. The throne sat upon a large dais made of bones fused together by precious metals with gems sprinkled here and there.

Hades smiled down at me coldly. "And so the prodigal son returns. Welcome back, David."

"I'd tell you to go to hell but we're already here," I snapped.

Hades' smile vanished but his relaxed posture remained. "I'm curious as to how you ended up down here, Davie. I know I didn't kill you. So who did?"

I felt my anger rise but I shoved it away. I hooked my thumbs into the loops of my jeans and shrugged, a crooked grin hiding my true feelings. "The Ares bitch is learning a lot faster than I thought she would. Got the better of me in a tussle. Thought it'd make her less cautious now that she thinks I'm dead. As soon as she makes a mistake, I've got her."

Hades tapped his fingertips on the armrest of his throne, a thoughtful expression on his face, "Tell me, how did you lose a fight to the Ares bitch in the first place?"

"I dunno, must be an Ares thing. They don't lose a fight very often, I guess."

Hades looked down at me, "You better make sure that this doesn't happen again."

"Trust me, I won't." I turned to leave.

"Ah, ah, ah, I'm not done yet."

I turned back around and faced Hades, "What now?"

"I need you to get something for me."

"What do you want me to get?" I asked suspiciously.

Hades tapped his chin, "Well, it's not really some _thing_ , it's actually more of a some _one_ , but what difference does it make?"

"Who?"

"This young man here," Hades waved his hand languidly. Black smoke seeped through the floor and formed itself into the shape of a teenage boy with electric blue eyes and blond hair.

"Who is he?"

"That is not important right now. Find him and bring him to me then you can go back and deal with your little problem," Hades replied. The smoke figure of the boy disappeared and I suddenly found myself in the middle of a small town. The salty scent in the air told me I was close to the sea.

I reached into my pocket and pulled out a photo of the boy I was looking for. Underneath the picture was the name 'Nathan.' I muttered a few curses under my breath then took a deep breath, pulling in all the scents around me. I caught the boy's scent and followed it until I came to the docks.

Several boats were tied up but Nathan's scent was coming from a small rowboat far out to sea. I grumbled to myself and paid a worker on the docks to tell me where the boy lived. The worker believed me to be a relative of Nathan's so he gladly told me the address.

When I found the house, a small room on the top floor of a rundown apartment building, I picked the lock. Inside, the room was sparsely furnished but shelves upon shelves of dried coral, shells, and fishbowls containing all sorts of aquatic life filled the walls. I pulled my gun from my jacket, sat on the counter of the tiny kitchenette and waited for Nathan to come home.

An hour later, I heard footsteps on the stairs, then a key in the lock, then the door opened. Nathan walked in, an opened bottle of water in his hand. He seemed to sense something was amiss because he stiffened and looked up.

"Hi, Nathan," I smiled.

"Who are you? What are you doing in my house?" Nathan watched me warily, his grip tightening on the bottle.

I waved my gun casually around the room, "I like the decor you've got going on around here. Doesn't really go with the whole demigod thing though."

"How….how do you know that?"

"I know a lot of things. Anyway," I hopped off the counter, "I'm gonna need you to come with me."

Nathan took a step back and held up his hand, "Stay back. I don't want to hurt you."

I frowned, "What are you gonna do? Set your attack fish on me?"

Nathan turned the water bottle upside down. Instead of all the water splashing all over the floor like I'd expected, it formed into a sphere of water, hovering over Nathan's hand. Nathan looked calm, but his eyes turned a stormy gray-blue color.

"Just leave me alone. I don't want any trouble. I haven't hurt anybody."

"I'm impressed but, ya see, I'm the son of Hades so I'll win this fight."

Suddenly Nathan thrust his hand forward, sending the water sphere smashing into my face. I felt my nose break and my anger flared. I glared at Nathan, wiping water from my face. His expression was shocked as he saw my nose heal. He redoubled his efforts but I dodged the water and caught him by the throat. I raised Nathan off the floor with one hand, barely controlling the urge to snap his neck. Nathan placed both hands on my arm and I felt a strange tingling sensation.

"Did you know that more than sixty percent of the body is made of water," Nathan choked out.

His fists were surrounded by water as he sucked the moisture from my body. The skin on my arms flaked off and I felt my entire body drying out. My healing abilities were barely keeping up. I slammed Nathan into the wall, clipping his head on the corner of a shelf, knocking him out. The water that had been collecting around his fists spilled all over the floor.

I tore strips of cloth from his sheets and tied Nathan's wrists behind his back. Then I slung his unconscious body onto my shoulder as if he weighed nothing. I focused on Hades and the Underworld when suddenly I was back in Hades' throne room.

I dumped Nathan into the floor and glared at Hades, "You could've told me he was Poseidon's kid. Now he's gonna be pissed. What's your next move? Find some kid of Zeus' and kidnap them to?"

"David, you're all wet. What happened?" Hades sounded amused.

I rolled my eyes, "Look, I got you the kid, now let me go."

"Hmmm," Hades looked thoughtful, "I'm tempted to keep you here."

"Are you fricking kidding me?"

"Well you did do such a great job in retrieving the boy, maybe I ought to keep you around more."

"Hell no."

Hades sighed, "Very well. You can go back and try to find Lex but I'd take the boy with you as bait."

"Bait? Why?"

"Oh, you didn't know? Your bitch has a half brother," Hades nodded his head toward Nathan, who seemed to be regaining consciousness.

I grabbed Nathan and Hades transported us to the large mansion where I usually lived. I lugged Nathan inside and tied him to a chair. To dull his senses and keep him from calling up a tidal wave to drown me, I force-fed Nathan several glasses of hard liquor. Once the alcohol took effect, he just sat there and looked around dumbly, his eyes glazed.

To draw Lex out, I punched Nathan until he started bleeding. Though the drink made him unable to feel most of the pain, he cried out a few times, helping me even more. Soon, I heard her then I smelt her as she raced towards the house. The front door was ripped off its hinges and thrown against the wall.

Lex stood framed in the doorway, not even breathing heavily, eyes darkened to black orbs of barely-contained fury. Nathan muttered something unintelligible and started to drift off. Lex's eyes went from Nathan, to me then back to Nathan.

"What have you done to him?"

"Gave him some strong stuff before I started hitting him. He barely felt a thing."

Lex's lips pulled back in a snarl and she walked over to me. Even though I'm taller than Lex, her anger seemed to make her giant. Her hand shifted into a knife and she buried it in my gut, twisting it painfully before jerking her arm and snapping off the blade, leaving it embedded in my stomach. I winced slightly then growled.

"You wanna fight me again? Look how well that turned out last time," Lex taunted.

As I busied myself with digging the knife blade out of my middle, Lex helped Nathan to his feet and started toward the door. I finally ripped the blade fragment free and pulled my gun from its holster at my waist.

"You may be bulletproof, but is he?"

Lex stopped and looked at me, "Don't you dare..."

I pointed the gun downward slightly and fired, hitting Nathan in the leg. Nathan collapsed, clutching his leg and moaning in pain. Lex looked furious.

She started toward me, hand shifted into sword blades up to her elbows, "Why you little-"

"I wouldn't do that, I really wouldn't," I said as I aimed the gun at Nathan's head.

Lex stopped dead in her tracks then swore in Greek and English. She shifted her arms back to normal and raised her hands slightly in apparent surrender. I motioned with the gun that she could help Nathan. She knelt beside him, placed a hand on his leg and muttered something under her breath. Nathan groaned as the bullet came out of his leg, landing in the palm of her hand. Lex ripped a few strips of cloth from the base of her shirt and bandaged Nathan's leg efficiently. She helped him stand and supported him as he kept his weight off his wounded leg.

I walked over arrogantly, a smile on my face. "Good choice, Lex. Now let's go to hell."

We suddenly stood at the gates of Hades' palace in the Underworld. Lex shivered and pulled her jacket tighter. Nathan gripped her arm until his knuckles turned white. I spoke to the skeletons guarding the gates then led Nathan and Lex into the palace.

Skeletons pulled Nathan away from Lex but she fought them, cursing and snarling until twenty guard were barely able to hold her back. I grabbed Nathan's arm and pulled him close to me then pressed the muzzle of my gun to his temple.

"Lex stop fighting them or I'm afraid I'll have to blow your brother's brains out. And that would be very unfortunate, wouldn't it?"

Lex instantly stopped resisting and allowed the guards to take her to the cells. I led Nathan along and presented him to Hades in the throne room. When I entered however, I was surprised to see my sister, Sophia, sitting in a smaller throne to Hades' left on the dais.

"It worked just like you said it would. She's in the cells now. I can bring her in if you like."

Sophia looked at Nathan and frowned. She turned to Hades, "Who is that?"

"No one of any importance. Now that he's served his purpose, I suppose you can get rid of him, David," Hades replied, his tone bored.

I shoved Nathan to his knees and pressed my gun to the back of his head. Sophia leaned out of her throne and whispered something in Hades' ear so softly that I couldn't hear what she said, even with my enhanced hearing. Hades looked at Nathan then at Sophia then smiled warmly, "Very well. You can have him if you want, darling." He turned to me, his expression one of barely disguised disgust, "You may go now."

"But I-"

Hades was suddenly standing right in front of me, his fury evident. Pain flared at the base of my skull and I winced slightly. Hades looked down at me, his inhumanly tall form towering over mine.

"Do as I say or you can join the bitch in the dungeons," Hades sneered.

I shoved my gun back into my jacket, turned and stormed out of the room. I could feel the animal inside me clawing towards the surface but I clamped down on my anger. Hades hated me because of what the Lycans did to me but he adored Sophia because she was pure and perfect in every way that I was not. Soon, I'd be strong enough to break free of Hades' grasp and then he'd pay for how he treated me.

 **Sorry this chapter was late. Had some internet problems at home. I'll post two chapters today to make up for it. ~Jo**


	11. Chapter 11

****Nathan****

I stayed on my knees, head down and watched the fight between Hades and the guy who kidnapped me. When he stormed out, I didn't relax. Now I was at the mercy of Hades and the beautiful girl sitting beside him. The pain from the bullet wound in my leg was excruciating but I didn't dare move or make any noise. Maybe they'd forget I was here then I could just sneak away. Unfortunately, I was on my knees in the middle of the huge throne room. I was very noticeable.

I heard the click of high heels on stone from the direction of the dais. I raised my head just enough to see the girl walking towards me. She stopped in front of me, then asked in a sweet and melodious voice, "What is your name?"

"Nathan," I replied quietly, keeping my head down.

The girl gently tilted my face upward, allowing me to see her fully. I stared at her. I couldn't help myself. She was beautiful; dark brown hair, violet eyes, a smattering of freckles across her nose. Suddenly she frowned and her eyes filled with concern.

"You're hurt."

I felt blood seeping through the makeshift bandage Lex had made for me and I silently cursed. The girl helped me to my feet. I stood, with her help, and tried to put weight on my leg then almost blacked out from the pain. She steadied me and led me through several halls before opening a door to a bedroom. I sat on the edge of the bed as she tended to the bullet wound, cleaning it gently with warm water and a rag before healing it. I watched as her golden yellow energy knit my skin back together.

"I don't know if I'm allowed to ask you this, but what's your name?"

The girl stood and brushed herself off then smiled at me, "My name is Sophia. Take your shirt off."

"What?" My brain froze.

"You're bleeding through your shirt. Take it off," Sophia repeated.

"Oh." _Smooth, man,_ I thought angrily. I pulled my shirt off, wincing slightly when I raised my arms. Sophia took the rag and dipped it into the water again. Then she crawled up behind me on the bed and gently dabbed at the cuts and bruises all over my body. The water obeyed my command and soaked into my skin, healing my body. Sophia gasped.

"You're the son of Poseidon, aren't you?"

I nodded, "Yes ma'am."

Sophia giggled, "You don't have to call me ma'am. You're probably older than me."

"Eighteen."

"Seventeen."

There was a long pause then she spoke up again. "I'm sorry my brother hurt you."

"Your brother? The guy who kidnapped me?"

Sophia blushed slightly, "My father doesn't like David because he's a hybrid. Lycan and Demigod. Hades believes that his children should be pure. David is nice and kind to me considering the way Hades treats him. He's been chasing this Ares girl for a while now, but she keeps getting away. I'm sorry he had to use you as bait."

Shame flooded my chest, "So it's my fault Lex got caught. Gods! I'm such an asshole."

"It's not your fault. There was nothing you could've done."

I put my face in my hands, "Damn it."

"There's nothing you can do, Nathan," Sophia said as she placed a hand on my bare back.

"Why did you save my life?"

Slowly her fingers walked up my spine, sending shivers up and down my back. "Has anyone ever told you that you could be a model?"

I shook my head, confused and not trusting myself to speak. "The unruly blond hair, the electric blue eyes, tan skin," she brushed her fingertips lightly across my shoulders, "All those muscles. Damn."

"I...I don't understand," I murmured.

"You're not bad to look at, and I'm a sucker for blue eyes," she giggled again, "I think you're a keeper."

Suddenly, pain like a fire raced up my spine and across my shoulders. I gasped and my body stiffened. Then, as quickly as the pain came, it was gone. I reached up and felt my back, expecting to feel the raised scars of a burn. Nothing. I stood up and walked to the wall-length mirror. I looked over my shoulder at my reflection. Black lines twisted and twined together along my spine and across my shoulders, making the shape of a cross.

"Shit!" I cursed when I saw the tattoo. It looked cool but I knew what it meant.

Sophia came up and put a hand in the middle of my chest. She looked up at me and smiled. "I can feel your heart beating," she whispered, "And now your heart belongs to me. You belong to me."

I felt a shudder run through my entire body as her words sunk in. I clenched my fists and thrust them forward, slamming Sophia into the wall with a wave of water. I heard a crack and I knew some of her ribs had just broken. Then I felt a pain in my chest that told me several of my ribs had broken as well. Stunned, I released Sophia and pressed a hand to my side. Sophia fell to the ground, wet and coughing She looked at me and laughed softly.

"You're connected to me, Nathan. If you hurt me, you hurt yourself."

I felt my anger drain out of me, leaving me numb. Sophia stood unsteadily, her hand pressed to her side. She healed her ribs and I felt the pain in my side fade away. Sophia looked at me coldly, "I ought to kill you right now, but you're just too good-looking. Sit."

I sat on the edge of the bed again, all defiance gone. Sophia eyed me approvingly and walked toward me slowly. She stood in front of me and put a hand on her hip. "You're going to have to learn to follow the rules, Nathan. You do as I say. You must be respectful. Keep your head down and when I say 'kneel,' you kneel. You will obey my father if he asks anything of you. You'll wear what I tell you to wear," Sophia bit her lip, "Although right now, I'm not sure if I want you wearing anything."

I looked at her as she chewed her lip thoughtfully, debating with herself. Sophia suddenly seemed to realize that she was still soaking wet from our tussle. She snapped her fingers at me, "Help me out of these wet clothes."

I walked around behind Sophia and reached for the clasp at the top of her dress then hesitated. "I can just dry your clothes, if you want."

"Did I tell you to dry my clothes or to help me out of them?" Sophia asked sharply.

"Sorry," I murmured. I gently pushed Sophia's long hair to the side and undid the hook at the top of her dress. The material slid off her body and pooled on the floor at her feet. Sophia stepped out of the dress and sat on the edge of the bed. She slipped off her high heels then crooked a finger at me. I went to her and joined her in the bed.

She laid down and looked up at me coyly, "Don't be shy."

I ran a hand along Sophia's side, pulling all the excess moisture from her body. She shivered slightly and buried a hand in my hair. Then she pulled my head down and our lips met.

I woke up the next morning with an arm around Sophia's waist, her body curved against mine. I started, remembering the events of last night. Her body felt so right next to mine, responding to my touch so perfectly. I kissed Sophia's neck and she smiled slightly in her sleep.

Carefully, so as not to wake Sophia, I slipped out of the bed and got dressed. I couldn't find my shirt and the longer I stayed in here, the more likely I was to get caught, so I left. I quietly snuck out of the room and crept down the hallways, searching for the dungeon. Several times, I had to duck into a doorway to hide as skeleton guards marched past. I finally came upon a door that led into an underground passage. _Hopefully, this is it_ _._ _,_ I thought. The door creaked when I opened it and I descended into the dungeons.

I wandered past empty cells and cells with bodies in them until I came to the most heavily guarded cell. At least fifteen skeletons stood guard in front of the cell and I could hear a deep, rumbling growl coming from inside it.

Staying hidden in the shadows, I summoned water from the pipes running through the walls. The water burst through the walls and slammed into the skeletons, shattering their bones with the force of the blast. I dug through the bones until I found a key that fit into the lock of the cell. I put the key in the lock-and froze.

Inside the cell was a huge black wolf, at least three times the size of a normal wolf. It looked at me with its midnight-black eyes and growled softly. The wolf's skin writhed and twitched, its legs shrunk, its snout shortened, and its hair disappeared. I took a step back in horror as the wolf transformed. In the place of the monstrous wolf, stood Lex, looking haggard and disheveled.

"Holy shit, Lex!" I cried in amazement, unlocking the cell.

Lex walked out and smiled faintly at me. "I've got a few new tricks up my sleeve," she rasped.

"C'mon, Lex we gotta go. There's no way no one heard the pipes breaking."

"Right," Lex nodded. I turned to lead the way out of the dungeon. "Nathan, stop. What's that on your back?" I stood still as Lex examined the tattoo that Sophia had given me, "Shit, Nathan, do you know what this means?"

"It means that you are both in lots of trouble."

We both turned towards the voice to see David and Hades standing in the doorway of the dungeon. Skeletons poured into the dungeon, I blasted some with water and Lex sliced others to bits with her sword-arms. One skeleton got under my guard and sliced my arm. I destroyed it instantly but another took its place. More and more skeletons kept coming back until they finally overwhelmed me. I felt the prick of a sword tip in my side and I stopped blasting the skeletons. Lex saw the sword pressed to my side and she cursed. Still swearing colorfully, Lex shifted her arms back to normal and raised her hands to her shoulders.

My wrists were chained behind my back and four skeletons escorted me into the throne room where I was forced to my knees. Lex came in a few minutes later, her arms immobilized in a metal harness that encased her upper body. Attached to the harness were ten iron rods held by twenty skeletons, two on each rod. The skeletons used the poles to pull, drag, and shove Lex along. Lex's legs were shackled with huge, thick chains that clanked on the floor as she slowly dragged them behind her. A thick strip of leather was bound over her mouth, silencing her curses. Her eyes burned blackly with rage and I knew that if my life was not in danger, she would have killed everyone in the room in an instant.

Hades sat in his large obsidian throne on the center of the dais. Sophia sat in the throne on his left and David stood at his right. Lex growled and said something I'm sure was offensive but no one understood her muffled words. I looked at Sophia and saw that she didn't look angry. _That's got to be a good sign, right?_

Hades pointed at Lex, "Kill her."

"NO!" I shouted and lunged forward, but the skeletons just beat me back down to my knees. Ignoring the pain I struggled against them, "Wait! Stop! Don't kill her. I'm the one who let her out. Kill me."

Hades shrugged, "Very well. If you insist."

A skeleton drew its sword and rested the blade on the back of my neck. Lex flipped out. She lunged, dragging all twenty skeletons forward several feet. She shook and growled and fought like a wild animal. Our eyes met and I saw the pain and anger and fear in her eyes. "I'm sorry," I whispered. I closed my eyes and waited to die.


	12. Chapter 12

****David****

The skeleton raised its sword above its head. Lex was going berserk, trying to get free and save her brother. Nathan whispered an apology to Lex then bowed his head, perfectly willing to give his life in order to save hers.

"Wait!" Sophia cried and swiped her hand through the air, reducing the executioner skeleton to dust.

All eyes in the room turned toward her. Even Lex stopped fighting and stared. Sophia stood and turned to our father.

"Sophia, what is the meaning of this?" Hades thundered.

"You were about to kill him, Daddy. You said I could have him. He's mine. You can't give me things and then turn right around and try to take them away," Sophia pouted.

Hades paused for a moment, "Fine then, you can keep him."

"Thank you," Sophia smiled.

Hades smiled at Sophia then pointed at a skeleton, "Kill the girl." My heart leapt to my throat. Lex growled as the skeleton drew its sword and advanced hesitantly.

Sophia pouted again and hung on Hades' arm, "Oh Dad, don't do that. If you do, you'll make my boy all sad and that'll make him no good in bed. Please?"

Hades faltered then motioned for the skeleton to leave. "Well if I can't kill the girl and I can't kill the boy, who can I kill?" he roared.

"Oh, I have an idea who," she looked at me slyly, "Kill David. He won't mind."

Shocked, angry, and betrayed, I growled, "You bitch! You-" Hades pointed at me and I felt my body shut down instantly.

 **I know this chapter is short. Important things come in small packages, though! Enjoy. ~Jo**


	13. Chapter 13

****Lex****

I watched David's body crumple into a lifeless heap on the dais. Two skeletons dragged his body out of the room, the large doors closing behind them. I looked up at Hades, not bothering to hide my hatred. Sophia was fawning over Hades then she flounced down the stairs and motioned for the skeletons to bring Nathan to her as she left the throne room. The skeletons dragged Nathan past me and out of the room.

"Take her to the dungeons. Make sure she can't escape this time."

The twenty skeletons shoved and pulled me down to the dungeons. I was locked in a cell and they left the dungeons, not bothering to remove the Stygian iron harness. I growled and rubbed my face against the sharp metal of the cell bars, slicing through the gag and my face as well. I waited a few seconds for the gashes in my face to heal then looked around for some way to get free.

"It's no use, the walls are impenetrable, the bars are razor sharp, and there are no weak spots."

I glanced into the cell beside me and saw, to my surprise, David. He stood with his arms folded across his chest, leaning casually against the wall. Suddenly his arm dissolved into black smoke for a moment then solidified. I stared at his arm. David looked at his arm then looked at me.

"Oh this? Yeah when I stay down here for too long, my body starts trying to free my soul so I can be Hades' bitch."

I raised an eyebrow, "Aren't you already his bitch?"

David's eyes flashed gold, "I'm not. Soon, I'll be rid of him forever."

"Good luck with that," I laughed harshly. I steeled myself for the pain that was about to come and squeezed my midsection with both arms until all my ribs snapped, a few of them puncturing my lungs. I struggled to breathe as blood began to fill my lungs. Trying to shut out the panic building in my chest, I squirmed out of the metal harness inch by inch, having to re-break my ribs, and even my arms, several times in order to get free. I crawled free and laid on the floor of the cell, breathing heavily as my body healed itself slowly.

David let out a low whistle, "I'm impressed."

Too tired to respond, I lifted my right hand into the air, middle finger raised. David chuckled. I sighed then sat up and broke my ankles then slipped them through the shackles. When my body had completely healed, I leaned back against the wall and closed my eyes.

"Why did your sister convince Hades to let me live?"

I heard David shift positions as his breathing changed, "I'm not really sure. I guess she just wanted to watch me die."

I shook my head, "No, she didn't. Nathan told me that she wishes Hades would treat you better."

"You don't know that for sure, she could be lying," David growled.

I shrugged, "Whatever."

"So how long has your mom been dead?"

My eyes flew open. I was up and throwing myself at the bars of David's cell, lunging at him, in seconds. David leapt back, surprised by my reaction. "Don't you _ever_ talk about my mother!" I snarled.

David raised his hands in mock surrender, "Okay, okay, I won't. Chill."

I slowly regained control of my anger and sat back down. David leaned hesitantly against the bars separating our cells. Suddenly his entire body became smoke and he fell through the bars, solidifying at the last second before he slammed into the floor. I felt a smile tug at my lips as he groaned in pain before sitting up stiffly.

David glared at me before he smiled slightly and rubbed the back of his head. His wild, unruly hair made me want to run my fingers through it. I caught myself. _What the hell am I thinking? This guy tried to kill me, he turned me into a monster, and he kidnapped my half brother,_ my reasonable side said. _But damn, look how smokin' hot he is,_ the other half of me argued. I shook my head.

"What's wrong?" David asked.

"Oh, nothing, other than the fact that your dad has locked me in a cell with you and your sister is somewhere doing something, that I don't even want to think about, to my brother. No, no, everything's fine," I replied sarcastically.

David laughed softly, "Sorry, I didn't-"

"I know what you meant."

David nodded and looked around the cell for a moment, "Listen, if we get out of here, can we put all this stuff behind us?"

"By 'stuff' do you mean turning me into a monster, kidnapping me, trying to kill me, kidnapping my brother, trying to kill said brother, and then shooting him in the leg?"

David looked at the ground and cleared his throat uncomfortably, "Yeah, all that."

"I don't know. I did kill you, which I'm not sorry for by the way."

"So, maybe we could….can I buy you a drink?" David offered awkwardly, reminding me that he was only nineteen.

I laughed, "Let's worry about getting out of here first. Then we can make plans."

"Seems fair," David said.

Suddenly, the door to the dungeon creaked open and someone descended the stairs quietly. I braced myself and David dissolved into smoke then drifted back into his own cell. Nathan, wearing jeans and a partially zipped up hoodie with no shirt underneath it, walked up to my cell door.

"Nathan! What are you doing here?" I whispered loudly.

Nathan opened his mouth to reply but Sophia stepped out of the shadows behind him and placed a hand on his shoulder. Nathan lowered his head and shoved his hands into the pockets of his jacket. Sophia smiled and looked at me.

"What's wrong, Lex? Cat got your tongue?" she giggled.

I growled, a low rumbling in the back of my throat. "Down, girl. I've got good news for you. My father has decided to let you go," Sophia tossed a key into my cell.

I didn't even look at the key, "What's the catch?"

"Catch?" Sophia shook her head, "No catch. You can leave as soon as you open the cell door."

"What about Nathan?" I asked.

Sophia sighed softly and ran her fingers through my brother's hair, "He is going to be staying here, with me."

"Hell no," I snarled.

"Oh, how cute, you think this is up to you," Sophia laughed then became serious, "Well it's not. Hades wanted to keep you trapped down in the Underworld for the rest of your miserable life. But Nathan here offered himself in your place. Very sweet of him, isn't it?"

I looked at Nathan, searching his eyes for some clue that she was lying. Instead, I found a look of defeat and anguish. I shook my head in disbelief.

"Nathan…."

Nathan looked at the floor. "I'm sorry, it was the only way," he whispered.

"Now that you've said your goodbyes, we'll be going," Sophia said cheerily, "I'm looking forward to some alone time with gorgeous here." She unzipped Nathan's sweatshirt and wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him deeply. Nathan put a hand on her hip and kissed her back.

Black smoke pooled around me and suddenly I was standing in an open field in the middle of nowhere. The image of Sophia and Nathan locked together was branded into my brain. I knew in my heart that there was no way to get him back. The realization that I'd lost the last living member of my family knocked the breath from my lungs. I sat down, leaned against the trunk of a nearby tree and wished for death.


	14. Chapter 14

****Nathan****

I saw Lex disappear in a cloud of black smoke out of the corner of my eye. Then Sophia transported us to a bedroom. I pressed her against the wall and she laughed softly, kissing my neck. I shed my jacket and captured her mouth with mine. Suddenly, she pushed me back, breathing heavily. I watched her, breathing hard, unsure what I should do to please her.

She looked up at me, her eyes sorrowful, "The only reason you're doing this is because you don't want me to change Hades' mind, isn't it?"

I paused, not sure how to respond. Sophia leaned her head back and closed her eyes. I saw light glint off the water that seeped out from under her closed lids. I went to her and wiped her tears away with my thumb. Running my hand through her hair, I kissed her gently, my lips lingering on hers.

"I'm not sure why I'm doing what I'm doing," I murmured against her lips, "But I know that you saved my life and my sister's life. Someone who saves lives can't be too terrible of a person, can they?"

"I guess not," Sophia whispered then kissed me back.

I sat on the huge couch with Sophia curled up in my lap, her head on my chest. I held her loosely, stroking her hair slowly. We sat like that for maybe an hour before Sophia sat up, kissed me, and declared that she felt much better.

"Glad I could help."

She smiled and announced that she would get me some more clothes and my own room in the castle. While she was gone, a skeleton messenger came and told me that Hades had a job for me. Reluctantly, I followed the messenger out of the castle. The skeleton led me to a partially torn down wall beside a small stream and told me that Hades wanted me to fix the wall.

I sighed and started lifting the smaller rocks into position on the wall. When I got tired, I put my hand in the stream and let the water renew my strength. After I'd placed all the rocks that I could lift by hand, I summoned water from the stream to lift the larger rocks.

Several hours had passed and I glanced skyward to see where the sun was positioned in order to estimate the time of day. Instead of the blue sky and bright sun, I saw the rough, dark stone roof of the Underworld. Even though I was outside the castle, the gloom of the place was depressing. I shuddered. _I wonder how long I'll stay down here before I forget what it's like up there. Before I forget the sun. Before I forget Lex._


	15. Chapter 15

****David****

It's been a little over a year since Nathan took Lex's punishment and chose to stay in the Underworld. He and Sophia have grown close since then. Hades has even seemed to warm to him slightly. At least, he's allowed Nathan a few trips to the surface, escorted of course. Every trip, Nathan immediately goes to the closest water source and hunts for news of Lex.

There are always rumors; killings that appear to be the work of some huge wild animal, and even some of a she-demon assassin with blades instead of hands. But every time I try to track down the origin of these rumors, I meet dead ends. Supposed survivors are found dead or so traumatized that they are reduced to blabbering, slobbering shells of their former selves.

I know she is out there, somewhere. She isn't dead or else I'd know immediately, spending most of my time in the Underworld and all. Nathan is beginning to get desperate. He has taken to purposefully putting himself in danger in the hopes that Lex will come. Just the other day, he almost threw himself into the Styx just to rid himself of the torturous memories. Sophia is extremely worried about him and begged me to find Lex.

I closed my eyes and felt my body dissolve into black mist. When I opened my eyes, I was standing in a busy city, the streets crowded with people. _Too many people_ , I thought, _This is the wrong place._ I inhaled deeply, drawing in the smells of my surroundings, hoping to detect Lex's scent. Nothing. I growled softly in frustration and teleported myself to another place. This time appearing on the outskirts of a small town.

I walked into the middle of town and hunted for any trace of Lex. Again, nothing. Anger welled up inside me. I turned to leave but I caught the scent of alcohol. A sudden desire to buy a beer and just relax for a moment caught me by surprise. I decided a little beer wouldn't hurt.

I followed my nose until I stood in front of the town's only bar. The words "Fritz's Alehouse" blazed in neon lights above the door. Several motorcycles and a few souped-up sports cars were parked outside. I pushed open the door and went in.

It was warm and dimly lit inside. The air was a stale mixture of alcohol, smoke, motor oil, and body odor. A few people glanced my way but most ignored me, their focus on the TVs mounted to the wall. Discarded peanut shells crunched under my feet as I made my way to the bar. I sat on a stool and took in my surroundings slowly.

"What can I getcha?" the bartender, a huge bear of a man, asked.

 _Obviously the guy doesn't care that I'm under aged. Although I'm only a year younger, I can pass for a twenty-one year old._ I shrugged, "Cheapest thing you got." The bartender placed a bottle in front of me and popped the lid off. I took a swig and grimaced, "This tastes like shit."

The bartender laughed, "The cheap stuff always does."

I scowled at the bottle and took another sip, grimacing again at the foul taste. The roar of an engine sounded outside. _1967 Chevy Impala_ , I thought, my heightened sense of hearing allowing me to tell what kind of car just from its engine sound. The engine shut off and I heard the slam of two doors as the driver and passenger got out of the car. The door opened. A tall guy about a year younger than me with short, light brown hair and tired blueish-gray eyes walked in and headed straight for the bartender. As he passed me, I caught the faintest whiff of demigod.

The newcomer handed the barman a slip of paper. The barman read the note and nodded then disappeared into a back room. He came back out with a medium-sized carton of cigarettes and two six-packs of beer. The beer caught my attention. Printed on the bottles in raised letters were the words "Olympian's Best." I'd heard of the brand before. It was rumored about among demigods that it was made from some of Demeter's own wheat, grown and harvested from Mount Olympus itself. If normal humans drank any, they'd die instantly. Very few demigods can drink much more than a few drops before they burn from the inside out. _So why the hell would this guy buy twelve bottles?_

The demigod paid for the beer and cigarettes and headed for the door, snatching a wallet from the back pocket of some passed-out biker on his way out. Suddenly I remembered that I'd heard two doors open and close but only one person actually came into the bar. Curious, I started to follow the guy when a shout from the barman stopped me. Annoyed, I paid for the beer then went to the window that faced the parking lot and peered out.

The demigod who'd bought the Olympian beer was putting it into the trunk of a gorgeous, midnight-black, 1967 Chevy Impala. A hooded figure leaned casually against the side of the vehicle. The person dipped their head and lit a cigarette, the red glow casting some light onto the planes of the smoker's face.

The world seemed to come to an abrupt halt and my heart stilled. Lex sucked greedily on the cigarette, nicotine entering her system, then tilted her head back and gently blew a cloud of smoke into the cold night air. She smoked for a few more minutes then glanced at the guy beside her who said something that I could not hear. Lex stubbed the cigarette out in her hand, not even flinching. Her healing abilities had grown stronger, repairing the damage almost immediately.

Lex slid into the driver's seat and started the car. The Impala roared to life and the demigod quickly jumped into the passenger seat. They drove off and I watched until I could no longer see the tail lights.

"Lex," I whispered, unable to help myself. _I'd seen her! She was alive and I'd finally found her._


	16. Chapter 16

****Lex****

I drove the Impala much faster than the 55mph speed limit. I loved the loud roaring noise of the engine and the wind howling and whipping past me. The car was a beauty; a blacker-than-night 1967 Chevrolet Impala, its engine thrumming with power. I swung into the driveway of the house that I'd been living in for over a year.

It was a small, out of the way, and on the outskirts of town. From the outside, the place looked rundown and abandoned; broken and boarded-up windows, empty beer bottles strewn across the porch, peeling paint, and a sagging roof. On the inside, I'd made some improvements so the place was habitable.

I parked the car, shut off the engine, stuffed the pack of cigarettes into my jacket and went inside the house. I put the keys in my pocket and stretched out on a rickety old couch that served as my bed. I'd just lit a cigarette and was enjoying the relaxed feeling it gave me when Caleb walked in.

Caleb is a demigod, a son of Hermes, who'd tried to pickpocket me a few weeks after I'd lost Nathan. Needless to say, I nearly killed him. I would have too, if we hadn't been attacked by a group of soldiers who were hunting him. I saved his life and he has stuck around since then. He's been pretty helpful, being a thief and all. Caleb even has a pair of winged shoes, a gift from Hermes, but he doesn't use them often.

He wasn't bad-looking; tall, lean and muscular, light brown hair, blue-gray eyes, quick with a smile or joke. But thinking of him as anything more than a guy whose life I'd saved, was unnecessary. When I'd lost Nathan, I'd walled off my heart and protected myself from emotions. If I couldn't feel, then I couldn't be hurt. Caleb was respectful of that and he knew when to keep his distance.

Caleb sat down at the foot of the couch and I moved my legs out of the way. I breathed out a puff of smoke and looked at him. He looked tired and thin. _He hasn't been eating_ , I realized. I stubbed out my cigarette on my forearm, which healed almost before my body registered the small pinprick of pain. I tossed the crumpled cigarette on the floor and sat up.

"What's wrong, Caleb? You're tired and you've stopped eating again."

Caleb smiled faintly, "No way to hide stuff from you, is there?"

"Spit it out. What's going on with you?"

"I don't really know. I've just been thinking about some things."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" I frowned, "You're not sick, are you?" I couldn't detect any irregularity in his breathing or heart rate and there was no scent of illness surrounding him.

"No, I'm fine, Lex. It's just…I've been thinking. About you and what happened."

I stiffened. My anger flared but I shut it out effortlessly. "What are you talking about?" I asked, my voice calm while my thoughts spun.

Caleb rubbed the back of his neck, "I'm worried about you, Lex. How long can you keep on killing people for money? How long will you keep smoking and drinking yourself numb? You don't seem to care anymore. You've shut everything out. Watching you sometimes, I wonder, do you even have a soul? A conscience?"

"I'm about as close to immortal as possible, Caleb. I'll drink however much I want, I'll smoke however much I want, I kill however much I want and whoever I want. You're right, I don't care. I don't care if I live or die. But that doesn't bother me," I shrugged, a mirthless smile on my lips, "I'm a soulless demon-bitch from hell."

"I refuse to believe that," Caleb said, his piercing blue eyes holding my gaze.

I shook my head, "Refuse all you like, nothing'll change. Just have a drink." I motioned towards the small table that held the two recently-acquired six-packs of Olympian beer.

Caleb got up, grabbed two bottles, opened one and gave it to me then opened his. He had a few small sips from his bottle while I took a huge swig from mine. His eyes cleared and his posture relaxed.

I smiled and tilted my bottle toward him, "See?"

Caleb nodded and tapped the neck of his beer against mine with a clank of glass. I downed half of my bottle and started feeling the warmth of the alcohol spreading through me. Caleb took a few more cautious sips, his body unable to handle large amounts of the stuff at a time. I dug into my jacket and handed Caleb a few sticks of jerky.

"Eat. You're losing weight and you're weakening yourself. You're no help if you're incapacitated."

Caleb took the meat and ate it slowly, washing it down with some more beer. I started on my second bottle and felt myself relaxing fractionally. Normal beer, wine, or alcohol of any kind has no effect on me. I found this out after drinking nonstop for three days after I lost Nathan. The only thing that affects me is the Olympian stuff. Even then, I have to drink much more than normal to get myself drunk.

My hands were shaking slightly as I lit a cigarette, another bad habit that I picked up to help me cope. I drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly, smoke billowing from my mouth. Between the Olympian beer and the cigarette, I could feel my guard lowering. I didn't care. I placed my head on Caleb's shoulder and drank some more.

After a total of four beers and six cigarettes, I was calm. My senses were deadened, and the room was spinning. I had taken off my jacket and allowed Caleb to run his fingers through my hair, loosening it from its usual tight braid. He murmured softly as his fingers gently combed through my hair. I felt my eyes closing slowly, more relaxed than I'd ever been. Caleb lay down on the couch and I lay next to him, my head on his chest, our bodies curved against each other, Caleb's arm thrown across my waist. My eyes closed and I fell into a dreamless sleep.

 **So sorry this chapter was late. My laptop broke and I still haven't been able to fix it. Hopefully, by next Monday, I'll post on time. ~Jo**


	17. Chapter 17

****Nathan****

I woke up alone, staring at the ceiling. I knew it was night, but I couldn't bring myself to care. Since the first night when Sophia forced me to eat the fruit of the dead, I'd stopped caring. Living in the Underworld had changed me. I slept during the day and pleased Sophia at night. I'd been given some freedom, but I knew I would always be a servant. I tried to picture what my life might've been like if I hadn't taken Lex's punishment.

The thought of Lex sent a spike of loss through my body. I closed my eyes and forced away the painful memories. I sat up with a sigh. I showered, dressed, and picked disinterestedly at the food that had been brought in by a skeleton. I'd lost my appetite recently. Though I could feel my body weakening, I couldn't bring myself to eat. I shoved the tray away.

"You know, starving yourself won't make anything better."

I spun around and found myself face to face with Sophia. I relaxed slightly and plastered a small smile on my face. "I'm not starving myself, Soph."

Sophia looked at me with eyes full of worry, "I'm the daughter of Hades, Nathan. I can tell when someone wants their life to end. What do you hope to accomplish by dying? I'll only bring you back if you do."

I sighed and felt my shoulders slump. Sophia took my face in her hands and gently pulled my head down, kissing me deeply. I put an arm around her waist and pulled her closer, kissing her in return. She pulled away slowly then smiled up at me, "Let's get a drink."

I felt the now-familiar weightlessness of teleportation as we suddenly appeared in the cellar of the castle. I leaned against a cask of wine as Sophia grabbed a few bottles of beer. I opened both of them and handed one to her. She thanked me, drinking leisurely. I rolled the bottle between my palms and had a sip or two every time she glanced at me.

"Thought I'd find you two down here, eventually. Just enjoying the scenery?"

"Shit!" I dropped my beer and jumped slightly, silence and glass shattering simultaneously.

Hades was leaning casually against the wall, a cold smirk on his lips. I immediately dropped to one knee, my head bowed respectfully. I'd learned the hard way that Hades demanded respect from those below him. Sophia smiled warmly at her father.

"Hi, dad. What are you doing down here? I'm assuming you haven't just come down here to spy on me and my boy."

Hades chuckled, "No, but I need to speak with you privately. It won't take long."

Sophia snapped her fingers, signalling me to rise, which I did. She pressed me up against the wall and kissed me hard and deep. She broke away then disappeared with her dad, leaving me breathless and alone.

I started back toward my room when David suddenly appeared beside me. Words poured out of his mouth in an unintelligible rush. I sensed the urgency and elation in his voice but I couldn't understand him.

"Whoa, slow down. What?"

"I found her! She's alive! She's really alive! I finally found her!" David grabbed my arm in a painfully tight grip.

I winced slightly, still confused, "Found who?"

"Lex."

Upon hearing her name, I felt the air rush out of my lungs. Shock settled over my entire body, leaving me numb and silent. David must have noticed, because he seemed to calm down somewhat, though his body still thrummed with excitement.

"Lex is alive, Nathan. I finally found her," he said softly.

I nodded mutely, unable to speak. I felt myself being whisked away into darkness then suddenly we were in a forest. I looked around at my unfamiliar surroundings. "Where are we?"

"She's holed up with some demigod guy in an old abandoned house way back off the road. We're coming up behind it," David answered as he began to walk off.

"Wait, demigod guy? What demigod guy?"

David didn't answer, heading deeper into the trees. I hurried to catch up with him, dodging low-hanging branches and stumbling over roots. David glared at me for making so much noise and motioned me to be quieter. I mouthed an apology and picked my way through the woods more carefully.

Excitement mixed with fear roiled in my gut. _What if it isn't her? What if David is mistaken? What if she's happy without me to worry about? What if_ I'm _happier without_ her _?_ I shook the thoughts from my head. David stopped and pointed at something that only he could see. I squinted but saw nothing except trees and bushes. We continued walking. Eventually, I could see the partial outline of a building through the foliage.

 _If David could see the building that far away, can't Lex hear or see us coming?_ I thought. I glanced at David out of the corner of my eye. David stopped and pulled a gun from his belt, handing it to me. I took the weapon hesitantly. My sister was inside that building, why did I need a gun? I wanted to ask David but he'd already plunged deeper into the foliage near the house.

I tried to keep my footsteps near-silent as I snuck up to the back of the rundown structure. David motioned for me to go around on the left while he took the right. I nodded as David slipped around the corner. I adjusted my grip on the gun in my hand and followed the wall until I came to the front of the house.

The porch sagged, the roof was bowed, and all the windows were boarded up or broken. Garbage, empty beer cans and bottles, cigarette butts, and other crap littered the yard and porch. I saw David as he came around the corner. I waved my gun toward the gaping hole in the floor in front of the door. He nodded and walked up beside me. He leaned close and whispered in my ear.

"The porch is too unstable. We'll go in through the window." David pointed at the empty space beside us.

We climbed inside and looked around. Junk and broken furniture was piled precariously in heaps along the walls which were covered in scraps of moldy wallpaper and peeling paint. The air contained a mixture of smells; urine, mildew, and cigarette smoke. I fought the urge to gag. Suddenly I heard the floorboards creaking, announcing that we were not alone. I turned and saw a tall guy holding a sawed-off shotgun standing in the doorway.

"Drop your weapons," he said calmly, cocking the gun. I glanced at David who nodded and slowly placed his gun on the floor. I did the same. "Kick your guns over towards me," the guy commanded, "And keep your arms where I can see them." David kicked the guns away from us and raised his hands. I raised mine as well.

"Where is she?" David looked distracted, glancing around the room as if searching for something.

Shotgun kept his weapon trained on both of us, "Where is who? No one else is here. Just me."

"You're lying," David said.

"And how would you know?"

"She was here. Where is she? Where is Lex?"

Shotgun's eyes widened slightly before he glared at David. Pulled the trigger. David's chest erupted into a fleshy, bloody, pulpy mess. I could see the white of bones within the ruined muscle and tissue. David took a half step back, the force of the slug powerful enough to unbalance him slightly. Then, the shredded skin began to regrow, filling in the empty cavity in seconds. David looked at Shotgun, a low, rumbling growl coming from his throat. The guy lowered his gun slightly. That was just enough for David to rush in and clock Shotgun. He fell to the floor in a crumpled heap.

"Hurry, we've gotta find her. That guy might have her locked away somewhere. Split up and look everywhere." David stepped over the unconscious form in the doorway and went to the left. I snatched up a flashlight that was lying on a decomposing cardboard box and went to the right.

The halls were musty and dark. I opened the first door I came to and peeked in, playing the flashlight's beam across the floor and walls. Nothing. I did the same to all the other rooms in the house. Zilch. David had gone outside, checking the woods surrounding the house for any sign of Lex.

A moan from the guy who shot David. I tied the guy's wrists together and secured them to a sturdy beam in the doorway. Shotgun was now upright with his feet a few inches off the ground, his arms taking the strain of holding his entire body. This man had done something to Lex. This man was keeping me from my sister. I felt anger burning through me. My fists clenched of their own accord. He would pay.

"You have one chance to tell me where my sister is before I kill you."

"Your sister?" he shook his head, frowning, "She doesn't have a brother. Her brother's dead."

My fist landed solidly in Shotgun's stomach. He grunted in pain. Suddenly, I couldn't stop. I kept hitting him and kept hitting him. The pain and anger and loss all breaking free in a flood of emotions that I couldn't control. I punched him in the face, throat, chest, stomach, legs, ribs. I heard bones crack. Blood gushed from various wounds, coating my split knuckles.

"Stop."

I turned, chest heaving from exertion. Lex stood less than five feet away. Rage clouded my vision. The gun was suddenly in my hand though I don't remember picking it up. I closed the distance between us in a few strides. Lex knocked the gun from my hands easily. Before I knew what had happened, I was on my back with Lex's knee on my throat, pressing down deliberately, cutting off the path of oxygen to my body.

"You….you left me," I gasped, the edges of my vision blurring.

"No, Nathan, I'd never leave you. I was protecting you. I'm so sorry. Don't worry, you're safe now," her voice was soft as she gently placed a hand on my cheek. Then darkness pulled me down into the swirling void.

 **Got my laptop fixed. Posting will be back on schedule. Thanks for hanging in there! ~Jo**


	18. Chapter 18

****David****

I'd left Nathan inside to look for Lex and was wandering around in the forest near the house, searching for tracks. I sniffed the air, inhaling the scents around me. I noticed the faint smell of cigarettes. I sensed a presence nearby, but I couldn't hear a heartbeat. I spun in a slow circle. Nothing. _Must be losing my touch._

Without warning, someone tackled me from above. I struggled to see the person but I was pinned down on my stomach. I heard the hum of metal as the individual drew a blade. I bucked, trying to throw my attacker off but they were inhumanly strong. The blade pierced the back of my neck at an angle. My body tried to heal itself but the blade dug deeper, slipping between the vertebrae of my spinal column and plunging into my skull. An indescribable amount of pain flooded my body, burning away all sense, logic, everything. I felt my soul being ripped free and dragged back down into the Underworld, my consciousness following it.

I sat up instantly, chest heaving, heart pounding wildly, gasping for breath. I was in the cells again. I stood and went for the door only to be stopped short. I looked down and saw that my ankles and wrists were enclosed in thick manacles which were connected to the cell walls with heavy chains. I cursed my father, he was probably the one responsible. He never passed up a chance to humiliate, torture, or abuse me.

I felt a growl building in my chest. I forced the animal side of me to calm down though my fists still clenched. I tugged experimentally on my bonds but they didn't budge. I threw the entirety of my Lycan and demigod strength into freeing myself but the chains remained sturdy and immovable.

"Shit," I swore quietly to myself.

Before even my enhanced senses could register it, Hades stood at the door of the cell. "Hello, son," he smiled cruelly.

"You're not my father," I retorted.

"I'm hurt." The god placed a hand on his chest and feigned an injured expression.

"Eff you."

The ruler of the Underworld narrowed his eyes dangerously. Agony split open my chest, burning the oxygen from my lungs and slicing across my heart. I stumbled and fell to my knees, barely able to keep myself from smashing my face into the floor.

"David, you really should treat me more respectfully," Hades tutted disapprovingly. I could hardly hear him, the pain drowning out almost everything. I hung my head in defeat, fighting to stay conscious. The corpse-like figure was now standing in front of me, inside the cell. He took my throat in one hand and lifted me to my feet. "Tell me something, David. Who is the reason you're alive right now? Be honest."

"You…" I moaned, the pain so strong that I could barely form the single word.

"That's exactly right. I'm the reason you're alive, which means I own you. And you _will_ obey me!"

Hades hurled me away, sending my body smashing into the stone walls of the cell. I heard and felt several bones break. He shouted at me some more before he stormed out. After he'd left, I dragged myself into a corner, my chains clanking with every movement, and began healing my wounds.

I slept fitfully until I heard the rustle of cloth advancing toward my cell. I sat up, ready for more abuse from my father. Instead of the skeletal, hate-filled visage of Hades, the gentle, loving face of my mother peered in at me. Her long blonde hair was loosely braided, so that curls escaped and framed her face. Her dark eyes were warm but tinged with worry. Her soft smile was shadowed with sadness.

Seeing her made me feel better and worse at the same time. It was because of me, that she was dead. It was my fault her soul was here now. "Mom."

"David," she murmured, her voice a whispering melody. She passed through the bars of my cell.

"What are you doing here? You're supposed to be in Elysium." Panic gripped my heart. _Had Hades removed her from Elysium in order to punish me? Would he send her to the Fields of Punishment?_

"Your father has granted me freedom to go where I please. I came to see you."

"I didn't want you to see me like this."

She cupped my face in her hands, "David, my little boy. I am your mother, you do not have to protect me from the world."

I wanted to tell her what was going on, but she loved Hades and if I told her the truth, she would be devastated. Instead, I lingered on her words. I smiled and the small cell brightened as she smiled back.

"Why are you here, David? Why are you in the dungeon?"

I shook my head, thankful that most of my wounds had healed, "It's nothing. I got wasted and asked Soph to put me down here before I hurt someone."

"You're such a sweet boy, David," my mother smiled again then ruffled my hair like she had done since I was a little kid. The familiar gesture filled me with guilt for lying to her. But I swore that since I hadn't been able to protect her in life, I would protect her and keep her happy in death. I shut out the guilt and hugged my mother, she hugged me back then sighed softly. "I must go now. Be safe, David. I love you."

"I love you too, mom," I murmured as she faded away from me.


	19. Chapter 19

****Nathan****

Black. That was all I could see. I opened my eyes but still couldn't see anything. I closed my eyes and tried to make sense of my surroundings. I was in a sitting position and felt smooth wood under my palms. _Ok, so I'm in a wooden chair._ I tried to stand up but was held in place by some sort of straps. _I'm_ tied _to a chair. Great._ I felt a sticky pressure on my lips as I started to speak out loud. _Duct tape. I'm gagged with duct tape and tied to a chair. This just keeps getting better and better._

A door opened nearby and someone walked in. "Glad to see you're awake." The voice sounded familiar but I couldn't place it. Suddenly something hard collided with my stomach. All the air rushed out of my lungs. If I had been standing, I would've doubled over right then. "Hurts, doesn't it?" Through the haze of pain, I recognized the voice. It belonged to the guy I'd beat up in the abandoned house in the woods. Light flooded my vision, blinding me momentarily. My gag was ripped off.

I squinted upward and saw that I was right. Shotgun stood in front of me, glaring at me. "Go to hell," I gasped, trying to catch my breath. He drew back his arm like he was going to hit me again, then lowered it. He untied me and helped me to my feet.

"Lex went hunting. She'll be back soon. C'mon."

He led me upstairs. We were no longer in the abandoned shack in the woods. I looked around. Stainless steel countertops and tile floors. We stood in some sort of industrial kitchen, similar to the ones used in a fancy restaurant. The place was in disarray; dirt and dust coated every surface, cooking utensils and pots and pans lay scattered everywhere, shelves were tipped over and broken as though the place had been looted.

"Where are we?"

"The Blue Penguin. Well, the kitchen of the Blue Penguin. It's an old restaurant. Got looted a while back. Nobody comes here anymore except for the occasional squatter or two. We needed a new place to crash since the shack got compromised."

"Who are you?"

"I'm Caleb. Demigod, son of Hermes. Lex saved my life almost a year ago. I have to pay back that debt, so I'm her bodyguard."

"Lex is probably the last person on earth who needs a bodyguard, no offense," I laughed.

"Well, yeah," the guy seemed really self-conscious, "I guess 'servant' would work better than 'bodyguard.'"

My laughter died on my lips, I was suddenly very aware of the meaning of the mark on my back, "Oh."

"Don't get me wrong, I don't hate her. In fact, I could think of a million worse masters. She makes sure I don't die and I can pay back my debt. It's really not that bad," Caleb assured me.

I nodded mutely. We had left the kitchen and now stood in the dining area. The windows were boarded up and most of the chairs and tables had been broken. In a corner, a sleeping bag and what looked like tablecloths sat in a pile. A duffle bag was tossed carelessly next to the makeshift bed. A blackened, jumbo food can that obviously was used as a fireplace/stove stood off to one side.

"The water and the power were cut from the building way before we got here so if we wanna cook stuff, we have to build a fire," Caleb explained as if reading my thoughts.

"Where did you say Lex was?" I asked.

"I'm here."

Having convinced myself that what had happened earlier was a dream, I flinched slightly at her voice. I turned and saw Lex striding toward me. She dropped a large envelope on the floor at Caleb's feet and sat down heavily beside the duffel bag. She withdrew from the bag a pack of cigarettes, a lighter, and two bottles of beer. Lex placed the beer on the floor, lit the cigarette, and took a long draw.

Smoke escaped from her mouth as she spoke. "You've probably got some questions."

"Where have you been? I tried to contact you for more than a year! I took your punishment! I became a slave! I gave up everything! For you. And what did you do? You never came back."

"I'm sorry, I really am. Nathan, from the moment you said yes to Hades, I've been searching for a way to free you. When I found out that Underworld bitch became your master, I wanted to kill her. But that would've killed you so I had to find some way to free you. I've made a deal with Hades," I opened my mouth to speak but she held up her hand to keep me from interrupting, "Don't worry, it's nothing. Anyway, I made a deal with him in order to set you free."

I felt my heart sink. "Lex," I said softly, "I can't leave the Underworld."

"Don't be ridiculous, Nathan. I'm not going to let you waste your life rotting in hell when I can do something to stop it."

"You don't understand," I shook my head, "The first night. When Sophia marked me, later, she made me eat some of the seeds of a pomegranate from the garden. I've eaten the fruit, I can't leave the Underworld unless Hades allows it. And then, only for short periods of time. I'm so sorry, Lex. Tell Hades you're done. Break the deal with him. Forget about me."

"Bullshit. I'm not gonna abandon my brother. Not now, not ever." Lex stood up abruptly. I watched in amazement as she stubbed her cigarette out on her forearm without even a flicker of pain crossing her face.

"What are you going to do?"

Lex snapped her fingers at Caleb, "Get a nice hotel room for you and Nathan. You boys shower, eat, sleep, relax, and stay there. Don't leave until I come back. That money should be enough to last you for at least a month. Obey Nathan and keep him safe. If he gets so much as a paper-cut, I'll make you wish you'd died before I found you."

"Yes ma'am," Caleb dipped his head. He picked up the envelope of money that she'd tossed to him earlier, seemingly unruffled by her threats. However, I saw the small flash of fear in his eyes when Lex turned toward me.

She pulled me into a hug then held me at arm's length, a hand on each of my shoulders. Lex had to look up at me even though she was two and a half years older than me but I was about a foot taller. "I love you Nathan. And I'm sorry I didn't protect you better. I failed you and I failed mom. But I will get you out of this shit, I swear. Even if I have to give up my life."

"You didn't fail, Lex. Mom would be proud of you."

The smallest hint of a smile played across her lips, "Go with Caleb. He'll obey you and keep you safe. Stay out of trouble. I'll be back once I'm done kicking some Underworld ass."

Before I could say anything, Caleb grabbed my arm and suddenly we were flying. I felt uneasy in the air due to the fact that my father, Poseidon, and Zeus had never really been on good terms with each other. Caleb assured me that he'd done this millions of times and sooner than I expected, we were standing in front of an elaborate hotel.

The instant we landed, I whirled on Caleb, "Take me back. Lex is going to get herself killed. I have to stop her. Take me back!"

Caleb shook his head, "I have to obey you unless your orders go against Lex's. I can't take you back."

"You-" I raised my arm to strike him, causing Caleb to flinch slightly. My anger rushed out of me and I dropped my arm, "Sorry."

Caleb didn't respond. He simply led me to the front desk, conversed with the clerk in hushed tones, and gave her a small stack of bills from the envelope. The woman nodded then handed Caleb a keycard.

"This way." Caleb went into an elevator and I followed him. The elevator's interior was ornate and polished until it practically shone. When the elevator stopped, the door opened and we got out. The hall we stood in was richly decorated, the carpet was thick and plush, the walls painted an immaculate creamy-gold. The hotel was obviously expensive.

Caleb unlocked the door to the suite. We entered and I was immediately overwhelmed by the sheer richness, comfort, and extravagance of the place. Two huge, canopied, four-poster beds smothered in pillows and comforters and silken sheets. Intricately designed glass doors led to the balcony overlooking the city. The bathroom had a giant shower, bathtub, and hot tub. The hot tub alone was larger than my apartment in Oakland, California. The whole room was bathed in a golden light that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once.

"How can Lex afford this?" I asked in wonder. Caleb held up the wad of cash. I fought the urge to sigh. "Yeah, but how did she get the money?"

"Lex is what you would call a mercenary or assassin-for-hire."

I stared at Caleb, "Really?" He nodded silently. "Oh," was the only response I could come up with.

After I'd showered for almost a solid hour, I ordered and ate almost everything on the menu from room service. As I admired and explored the suite, I felt drowsiness slowly take hold of me. I stretched out on one of the gigantic beds and slowly closed my eyes. In seconds, I was asleep.


	20. Chapter 20

****David****

"HADES!"

I leapt to my feet. Lex's voice was a roar that could be heard through the entire Underworld. I tried to pull myself free from my chains but they were too strong. Two skeletons came walking down the corridor. They stopped at my cell, unlocked the door, kept the chains around my wrists but disconnected them from the cell floor. I was escorted to the throne room where Hades sat on his obsidian throne, Sophia sitting at his left.

Several skeletons rushed to the doors to try to barricade them. The doors to the throne room were ripped from their hinges. Guards went flying, shattering upon impact. Lex burst into the room, her black eyes blazing with hatred and fury. A few brave guards charged her but she cut them down with barely a glance, her flesh becoming metal in the blink of an eye.

"You'll have to pay for those doors. The castle gates as well. I'm afraid it's not going to be cheap. Shame that you had to break them down. You could've just knocked." Hades lounged in his throne as though bored with this petrifying display of strength.

Lex glared at the god, a low growl rising from her throat. I could sense the primal side of her clawing to get out and destroy everything in its path. Hades waved indifferently, "Kill her."

Hundreds of ghosts and souls, skeletons and reanimated corpses, hellhounds and even a few automatons Hephaestus had made for my father as a gift, suddenly appeared. All these attacked Lex in unison. I watched in awe as she slashed, ripped, tore, stabbed, and shot her opponents. She flowed smoothly between her human and canine forms. Shredding an automaton with her teeth one moment, smashing a skeleton with her sword-arm the next.

In a matter of minutes, the battle was over. Lex stood in the center of the carnage, her right arm a sword from the elbow down, her left arm holding the heart of her last victim, a hellhound. Crimson dripped from her blade-arm and a savage, mirthless grin spread across her lips. Gore was splattered all over her clothes, she was drenched in blood but none of it was hers. She had defeated them all without getting a scratch. Lex tossed the heart at my father's feet.

"That all you got?"

Hades stood. "I'm impressed," he stepped over the heart and began to descend the steps of the dais, "However, I get the feeling that you didn't just come down here to impress me."

"Whatever gave you that idea?" Lex quipped, wiping her blade on her bloodied pants then shifting it back to her fist.

The god stopped at the last step of the dais, his feet just inches away from the scarlet chaos. Pretending to not have heard the smart remark, he smiled coldly, "What is your proposition, daughter of Ares?"

"Relinquish your claim on my brother's life."

"And what will you give me in return?"

Lex's eyes looked like two black holes; depthless, cold, empty. "My fealty."

"Your life."

"Done."

Death's master grinned at Lex's lack of hesitation, "As you wish. All rights to your brother have been terminated. He is free of the Underworld until his death." Sophia started to rise from her chair, her mouth opened to protest. Hades cut her off with a wave of his hand. Soph pouted but knew better than to argue with him. She sat back down as he continued speaking to Lex. "You have twelve hours to settle your af-"

"I don't need to."

"Very well." Hades continued to speak to Lex but I was dragged out of the room so I was unable to hear the rest of the conversation. My guards shoved me back into the cells and chained me up to the floor again. After they left, I tried again to get free. Again, I was forced to accept that I would be stuck here until Hades wanted me moved. I laid down in the corner and drifted off.

The creak of metal awoke me. I opened my eyes and saw skeletons in the doorway. They brought me out of the dungeons but instead of taking me to the throne room like I'd expected, they led me to the fighting arena. The huge stone doors were opened and I was shoved inside. The large slabs of rock boomed as they shut behind me. I looked around the arena. It was like standing in an oval shaped football field but with stone instead of grass. Lex stood in the center of the arena, her eyes locked onto me.

"Your father wishes me to train you."

She spoke in a normal voice that carried throughout the entire structure. My fists clenched. _Hades, you sick son of a bitch!_ I didn't stand a chance against Lex in a fight. This time there was no little brother convenient to point a gun at. Thinking of guns, I didn't have mine. Or any weapon for that matter. _I'm dead._

As if she could read my thoughts, Lex was suddenly standing in front of me, smirking. _Shit, she's learned how to teleport. This is definitely gonna end painfully for me._ Before I could react, I was lying on my back, all breath knocked from my lungs, pain flaring in my stomach. Lex watched me with the bottomless pits of her eyes. She bent down and clipped some kind of thin metal collar around my neck then took a few steps back.

I struggled to my feet, trying to catch my breath, "At least uncuff me. This is way too unfair."

"Life's not fair, son of Hades."

"My name is David," I growled, anger rising.

"I'll call you what I want until you earn my respect. You rely only on your strength and your powers. You need to learn to be a weapon whether you have these advantages or not."

Hoping to catch her off guard, I lunged at her. She sidestepped effortlessly, one hand transforming into a knife that she sliced along my side as I went past. I landed awkwardly on my back, my side on fire. I waited for my Lycan healing abilities to engage but the pain persisted. I glared at Lex who watched me with a deadpan expression.

"What did you do?"

"The collar suppresses your Lycan abilities. You cannot heal yourself or change forms. You must learn how to fight without your powers." With that, Lex knelt next to me and pressed her hand to my bleeding side. Her energy, a deep blood red, knit my skin back together and erased the pain. Lex removed my cuffs then stood. "Fight me, son of Hades."


	21. Chapter 21

****Lex****

After less than fifteen minutes in the arena with me, David was done. I'd broken just about every bone in his body… twice. He'd lost a ton of blood. I hadn't even used my Lycan or demigod abilities. He was just a terrible fighter. His form was horrible, his attacks were sloppy and I easily blocked them. He let his anger take over when he was fighting and that was blinding him. It was like fighting a drunken four year old.

I picked up his unconscious form and carried him back to the dungeon. I dumped him unceremoniously in his cell then went to the throne room. Hades stood beside his royal chair but stared at me, his eyes searching for a way through my mental armor.

"You rang?" I snapped, pissed that he insisted on treating me like an errand boy.

"How goes the training?"

"Your son's a horrible fighter. He's sloppy and uncoordinated. I might as well fight a blind kid in a wheelchair."

A small smile shone on his face, "That bad, huh?"

I nodded silently.

He chuckled, "You remind me so much of your mother. She's a wonderful woman."

I stiffened, ready for Hades to try some sort of manipulative shit with my mom's soul in order to get me to do something. The god's mark on my shoulder twinged. I reminded myself that I had to do what he commanded, no matter how much I hated him.

"I gave you my word, if you want me to do a job, I'll do it. You don't have to threaten me."

"True. Your mother's death is a sore subject for you. Anyway, I need you to pay a visit to someone for me."

I felt my hands become blades, my heart skipped a beat in anticipation of the hunt.

"However, this is to be a peaceful mission. At least, for right now. I want you to take David with you."

"Where do you want me to go?" My hands shifted back to normal. I needed a smoke and maybe a beer, or two, if I had to take David.

The ruler of the Underworld grinned, "I want you to take a message to your father."

I went to the dungeon, ripped David's cell door from its hinges, and planted a solid kick in the bastard's side. "Get up."

David groaned and rolled over. "Go to hell," he spat upon seeing me.

"We're already here. Get up, your dad wants you to do a job. Let's go." Another kick in the ribs for good measure. He got up stiffly, a murderous glint in his eyes. I tossed him a change of clothes and snapped his chains easily with one hand. "Get changed. We leave in one minute."

While David struggled to dress, I lit a cigarette and took a long draw. My growing headache melted away instantly. "Minute's up." I clamped a hand on David's shoulder and teleported. We appeared in front of an elevator door.

"Where are we?"

I ignored David and pulled him into the elevator. It began to ascend slowly. I took another drag from my cigarette. Blew smoke in David's face. He coughed slightly and glared at me. His hand went for where he kept his gun, only to realize he was weaponless. I smirked and offered him the cigarette. He just glowered at me.

"Why are we here?"

I blew smoke out of my nostrils, "Hades wants a message delivered."

"What sort of message?"

"That's for me to know and you to find out."

The elevator opened and I got out before David could respond. He followed me down the hallway until we stood before a set of ornate gold doors. I stubbed out my cigarette on my thigh, flicked the butt away, then pushed the doors open.

Twelve chairs sat along the walls in a semicircle, each one facing us. A few were empty but the rest were occupied. Zeus, Poseidon, and Hermes were absent. I saw my father and wished I could be anywhere but here. Ares stood leaning against Aphrodite's chair, his arms folded across his chest. His eyes, covered with black sunglasses, zeroed in on me. I felt him searching for weaknesses and my anger flared momentarily. He'd always had this affect on me; making me feel inferior no matter how hard I tried to please him, stirring up my emotions, making me feel bloodlust and fury. My fists clenched of their own accord and I felt them begin to transform. I caught myself and stared at the floor, looking away from his unnerving gaze.

"I have a message to Ares from Hades," I announced, my voice sounding strong and steady.

"You'd think Hades could tell me to my face," Ares rumbled, a smile tugging at his lips.

I handed the slip of paper to my father. He took it, his fingertips barely brushing mine. Rage and hate exploded inside my head, my body longed to become his weapon, to be an instrument of destruction, to obey his every order. I felt a tremor ripple through my body as I began to bend to my father's will.

Then, in an instant, the battlelust vanished. I felt a hand on the small of my back. I turned and saw David, looking at me with an unsure expression. He mouthed the words 'you okay?' I nodded then practically dragged David from the room. As soon as the doors shut behind us, Ares' deep bellow of rage resounded through the building. We ran to the elevator. We had just started to descend when a thunderous crash sounded. The noise was as if doors were being broken down above us. Ares was pissed.


	22. Chapter 22

****Nathan****

I felt horrible. I was relaxing in an extremely expensive five star hotel that was paid for by Lex's murder money while she was trapped in the Underworld. _My sister is a killer. She kills for money._ I still couldn't believe it. Sophia's mark on my back had faded from existence. I closed my eyes and wished that I could forget everything that had happened.

"You okay?"

Caleb was leaning against the wall across the room. His expression seemed genuine but I wondered if he really cared or if he just wanted to save his own neck. I nodded and sat up. The bed seemed to pull at me as if trying to put me back to sleep. I ran a hand through my hair in a vain attempt to restore some semblance of order to the mess. I could practically feel my hair sticking out in every possible direction.

"How long was I asleep?" My voice was raspy and thick with sleep.

"About a day and a half."

"Seriously!? Why didn't you wake me up?"

"You obviously needed the rest. Are you hungry?"

As if it had ears to hear, my stomach growled loudly. "Yeah, sure."

"Do you want to explore the city or would you like me to call room service?"

"When's the last time you've had breakfast in bed?"

"What?" Caleb frowned at the arbitrary question.

I flopped onto my back and snuggled into the luxurious folds of the fluffy blankets. "I haven't had breakfast in bed in a while. Let's order room service."

"But...it's 2:30 in the afternoon."

"I've never had breakfast in bed for lunch either," I said with a smile, coaxing a small smile from Caleb.

"As you wish," he dipped his head then picked up the phone and ordered everything on the breakfast menu.

"You gotta stop doing that."

"Doing what?"

"Treating me like I'm your boss. All that 'as you wish' stuff is making me feel weird. Just treat me like a normal person, please. You're way smarter and stronger than me, you really shouldn't be listening to me," I explained.

Caleb smiled, "Okay. Sorry, it's just a habit."

I smiled back, my heart lifting. "So...after breakfast/lunch/whatever, what are we gonna do?"

Caleb shrugged, "There's a flyer on the table that has a list of all the stuff you can do at the hotel."

"Cool."

There was a knock on the door and a maid walked in, pushing a cart piled high with trays of food. Once the maid left, Caleb and I dug in. I watched Caleb out of the corner of my eye while we ate. He attacked his plate like a starved animal, practically inhaling his food as if he hadn't eaten in days. I wondered if that was true. We quickly polished off the food then took turns in the shower. I'd just stepped out of the shower, a towel wrapped around my waist when I heard something that made my blood run cold.

"Hello, gorgeous."

Adrenaline pumped through my body at the sound of her voice. My fists clenched and I fought to fight down the mixture of panic and anger that swirled in my stomach. I turned around and faced the speaker. Sophia stood in the bathroom doorway dressed in skintight jeans and a thin shirt that hugged her every curve. She closed the door and I heard the _click_ of the lock.

"Where's Caleb?"

"That delicious-looking son of Hermes? He's a little tied up right now. Aren't you going to say hi? I've missed you."

"Can't say the same for you."

Sophia began walking towards me slowly. "Aww, that's not very nice."

"I'm not trying to be nice, Sophia. What are you doing here?"

"You can't expect me to give you up so easily. Especially since you're _so_ good in bed," she purred.

I began taking a few steps backward, she was a lot more dangerous than she looked and I wanted to put as much distance as possible between me and her. "Glad that you're impressed with my bedroom skills," I said sarcastically, "But your father released me in exchange for Lex."

"Well, Lex isn't the one I want to play with. I want you. Plus, you'll only remain unclaimed until your death. Wouldn't it be such a shame if you had an unfortunate accident?"

"You can't. You aren't powerful enough to go against Hades." My back bumped into the tiled wall. _Shit._ She'd cornered me.

"I may not be strong enough to openly defy my father, but I _am_ strong enough to take what I want." Sophia smiled pleasantly, a few feet away and getting closer as she spoke.

"What if I just kill you?"

"You're not a killer, Nathan."

"Maybe not, but I've got no problems hurting you," I snapped, holding open a hand and drawing water from the air.

"And I've got no problems hurting that Hermes boy. What did you say his name was? Caleb?"

I released the water I'd collected back into the atmosphere and my shoulders slumped in defeat. Sophia took my face in her hands and looked deep into my eyes, her own eyes an enchanting violet. I was unable to look away from her.

"Now, you're mine," she murmured, her voice rich and commanding. I felt the compelling need to obey her. "That's it, Nathan. Follow me."

She turned and held out her hand. I took her hand and followed her as she unlocked the bathroom door and led me to the bedroom. We passed the first bed and I saw Caleb lying on the bed, his arms and legs bound to the bedposts with sheets, his eyes open, staring listlessly at the ceiling. Sophia saw me looking at him and smiled.

"Don't worry, he's fine. Sit down."

I obeyed, sitting on the edge of the bedside. She tied my wrists to the nearest bedpost then sashayed over to Caleb. She whispered a few words into his ear then untied his hands. The instant the knots were loosened, Caleb leapt up and wrapped his hands around Sophia's throat. Taking advantage of her surprise, he shoved her away, and drew his sword which was laying in the floor.

Sophia looked furious as she held out a hand and conjured a cloud of black smoke that formed into a sword. She looked at Caleb and her eyes glowed slightly, she spoke in that rich commanding voice but he simply shook it off and charged her. She blocked his attack clumsily, earning a shallow cut on her forearm. Caleb fought with ruthless persistence and speed. Sophia blocked some of his blows but most hit their mark and soon she was bleeding from several cuts and gashes. Her attacks came weaker and weaker as her blocks got slower. Sensing that he had the upper hand, Caleb vaulted over her and knocked the sword from her grip, pressing his blade to her throat. She glared at Caleb with a look of pure hatred then vanished in a puff of black smoke.

"You okay?" Caleb asked as he untied me.

"Yeah. How'd you snap out of it?"

"Lex had a feeling Sophia might try to come after you so she gave me some reflective contact lenses. I pretended that I was hypnotized and Sophia fell for it. She won't be back anytime soon. You sure you're okay?"

"Nothing a quick swim won't fix," I assured him. "Thanks for saving my life."

"Just doing my job."


	23. Chapter 23

****David****

Once Lex and I made it back to the relative safety of the Underworld, Lex clocked me. I went down, the unexpected blow making my vision swim and my head reel. Once the world had settled and the pain was no longer debilitating, I stood up slowly.

"What the hell was that for?"

"Don't you ever touch me again," Lex snarled, letting the animal inside her feed on her anger, her black eyes burning darkly.

"I'm sorry," I apologized, expecting another blow, "You looked like you were losing control. Your eyes started glowing red and your hands were shaking and shifting weapons. I got worried about you."

"You worry about yourself. Got it?"

I could practically feel the fury rolling off her in waves. I nodded, then changed the subject. "So what was the message that made your dad flip out so badly? I mean, he nearly tried to kill us."

"He wanted to kill you, not us."

"Okay, but why?"

"Because your dad basically owns me and so he wanted to rub that in Ares' face. Ares isn't too happy about that and he was gonna take his anger out on you."

"What a nice guy," I muttered. Lex glared at me so I shut up to avoid another fist to the face.

We walked in silence until we arrived at the castle gates. Several skeletons stood on the battlements and watched our approach. They opened the gates and we walked inside. A messenger came up and told us that Hades wanted us to train more. Lex muttered some Greek under her breath that didn't really need a translation. Her tone alone conveyed the general meaning of the words.

We entered the arena and Lex locked the suppressor collar around my throat again. I wished inwardly that she would just beat me until I lost consciousness like last time but her expression made me feel as if that was not the plan.

"Today we're going to work on your hand-to-hand combat."

I fought the urge to groan. _I'm gonna die._

"The main thing you need to remember is that you cannot let your anger control you. When you fight, you _can_ let your anger fuel your desire to win but, if you let it take over, you will make mistakes and you will die."

I nodded. Then suddenly I was on my back, pain exploding in my jaw. I was sick of her treating me like an idiot and taking advantage of me. I leapt up, then went right back down again as my legs were swept out from underneath me.

"You need to anticipate your attacker's move," Lex said plainly.

I got up, fists clenched. I feinted to with my right hand then threw a punch with my left hand. Lex caught my fist and twisted my arm sharply. A crack sounded from my shoulder and my mind was overwhelmed with pain. I fell to my knees, cradling my left arm.

"Relax, I only dislocated your arm."

" _Only_ dislocated!" I shouted.

"You need to learn how to fix your own injuries anyway."

"You've gotta be effing kidding me."

Lex knelt next to me and took my arm, "This is going to hurt."

"Well, don't sugarcoat it or anyth-" Pain raced through my body and I swore. Suddenly I could move my arm again and I rotated it slowly, grimacing at how sore it was.

"There. Now get up and fight me. You'll never learn anything if you keep ending up on the ground."

I felt my anger flare and I surged upward, swinging a fist at her face. Lex simply leaned back slightly and kicked me in the chest. I stumbled backwards, all the air knocked out of my lungs. Ignoring the pain, I aimed at Lex's stomach. She ducked inside my punch and landed several strong hits to my gut before I stumbled away.

"Put your arms up, you've got to protect yourself. Keep your hand loose until the split second before you make contact, it'll prevent you from hurting your hand when you punch."

Lex darted in and demonstrated this by punching me in the stomach again. I put my hands up, blocking the hits clumsily. Lex knocked aside my feeble parries and nailed me in the mouth. I heard a snap and felt my jaw pop out of place.

"You need to be faster. Don't just stand there. Move! Dodge the hits, mix up your blocks with a few kicks to the body. If you don't dodge, you deserve every hit you take. Come here."

Lex's hands deftly maneuvered my jaw back into place with a sharp _click_. The pain lessened instantly. I felt one of her hands leave my face and I ducked, narrowly avoiding a fist to the face. She nodded approvingly then threw several punches in quick succession. I dodged, blocked, and countered with a right hook to the temple. At least, that's where I was aiming. Lex caught my arm and used my momentum against me, flipping me head over heels.

I landed on my back in the dust with a thud. Before I could catch my breath, I had to roll away in order to avoid Lex's boot coming down on my face with crushing force. She caught me in the spine with a kick but I kept rolling until I was far away enough to get to my feet. I stayed out of range and we circled each other cautiously.

Hoping to get in a quick jab, I ran towards Lex. She knocked aside my punch and kicked me in the back, sending me to my knees. As I tried to get up, she leapt up into the air and executed a spinning kick that connected solidly with my head. My teeth rattled and everything went black.

I woke up in my bed and thought for a moment that I was dreaming because I wasn't in the cells. Then I saw Lex with her back to me, soaking a rag in a bowl of water. I turned my head to see her better but pain pounded behind my eyes. I groaned.

"About time you woke up. I didn't even hit you that hard."

"You dislocated my arm, my jaw, bruised my entire body then kicked me in the face so hard that I lost consciousness," I muttered angrily.

"I barely touched you, stop being such a baby." Lex removed my suppressor collar and handed me the bowl of water, the rag floating on top.

My Lycan healing abilities kicked in immediately and, in seconds, my wounds were healed and the pain was gone. I went to the bathroom mirror and used the wet rag to clean the dried blood off my face.

"Thanks," I said, glancing at Lex's reflection in the mirror.

She got up and brushed past me. She turned on the sink and began washing my blood from her knuckles. "You might not feel like it, but you are improving. Even if it is at a sloth's pace."

"I'll take that as a compliment," I replied, dumping the bloody water into the sink and wringing the rag dry.

Lex dried her hands off on the hand towel then started to leave. I positioned myself in the doorway, blocking her path. She looked at me with an annoyed expression on her face, her arms folded across her chest and eyebrow raised.

"You're in my way. You can get out of the way or I can physically remove you. I just beat the shit out of you in the arena, I have no problems doing it here. "

"I just wanted to see if you wanted to go get a drink."

"I'll say yes, on one condition."

"And what's that?" I asked, my heart beating slightly faster.

Lex smirked, "You have to beat me in a fight."

"I'll be in the arena in five minutes."


	24. Chapter 24

****Lex****

I left David's room and walked leisurely to the arena. _You'd think after I'd kicked his ass so many times, he'd give up already. Stubborn son of a bitch._ I shook my head. He was gonna get his ass handed to him… again. I had the Blessing of Ares which made me practically immortal in combat. No one has ever beat me. Well, except for my dad, of course.

I pushed open the huge doors to the arena and stepped inside. My ears detected a soft whistle and I took a step to the right. An arrow sprouted from the door where my head had been only seconds earlier. I chuckled softly.

"You're gonna have to try harder than that."

David's head popped up behind a stone wall in the middle of the arena. He fired another arrow which I caught in midair then threw back towards him at a deadly speed. He yelped in surprise and ducked back down behind his barricade. My arrow stuck into the ground on the other side of the wall, purposely missing David's foot by mere inches.

"Hey!" he cried, "You almost killed me!"

"Then you should be glad I didn't. Stop hiding behind walls. Come out and fight me like a man."

David vaulted over the wall and ran at me. He drew his sword and sliced through the air at my neck. I kept my hands clasped behind my back and simply took a step backward. He slashed and stabbed, but each time I dodged effortlessly. I could see he was getting angry but he did a pretty good job of keeping his emotions under control.

"You're swinging too wide. You need to control your blade, don't expend any more energy than necessary to swing. Keep your attack clean, fast, and powerful. You want to cut your enemy, not bludgeon them. You have no balance or grace."

He focused on his sword and began making quicker, cleaner attacks instead of swinging his sword wildly.

"Good. You are fighting with a sword, not a club."

David's attacks became more coordinated and slightly less sloppy. He still fought like he wasn't quite comfortable with his sword, but it was an improvement. I continued to easily avoid his attacks while keeping my hands behind my back. I showered David's body with several well-aimed kicks, feeling a sense of satisfaction every time he grunted in pain. He was frustrated and beginning to tire but he was determined and didn't quit. His perseverance impressed me and I decided to change my mind.

While backing away from his thrusts and slashes, I felt loose soil and rocks underfoot. Trying to make my fall as convincing, I "tripped" and fell on my back. David quickly took advantage of my loss of footing and pressed the point of his sword to my throat. I clapped slowly and felt the corners of my mouth turn upward slightly.

"Good job. You got me."

David, grinning ear to ear, helped me to my feet. We left the arena and walked back to the hallway that lead to the bedrooms.

"I need to shower before we go," I said.

"Me too."

"Meet you topside in ten minutes." I went into my room and showered quickly. I changed into clean jeans and a T-shirt, and slipped my mother's leather jacket on. I was toweling my hair when I caught David's scent right before he knocked on the door. "Come in."

The door opened and David walked in. "Ready to go?"

"Don't rush me." I tossed my damp towel at him and it landed on his head.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome," I said, walking out the door, "Let's go."

David shook off my towel then gently placed his hand on my shoulder and teleported. We appeared in front of a sturdy, well-maintained building that emitted the smell of smoke, beer, and cooking meat. I inhaled deeply, the Lycan side of me longing to sink my teeth into a huge steak or burger. The painted wooden sign that hung above the porch read "Cutthroat Tavern: Beer, Girls, Food."

I laughed softly at the name and followed David inside. The bar smelled even better inside; the rich scent of the pine furniture mixed with the delicious greasy smell of burgers, smoke from the large fireplace that blazed brightly in the middle of the room, and freshly brewed coffee. We sat down at a booth in the corner. I kept my head down in order to keep people from noticing the fact that my eyes were practically black holes in my head. The black eyes seemed to freak people out.

The waitress, fire-engine redhead in five-inch stilettos, a too-short skirt that barely covered anything, and a crop top that left very little to the imagination, took our drink orders and flirted not-so-subtly with David. Once Red came back with our beer, she "accidentally" dropped a napkin, that I was pretty sure contained her number, in David's lap. David and I ordered two burgers each with an extra order of fries and a whole cherry pie for dessert. While our food was cooking, we drank our beer.

"You let me win, didn't you?"

I put a hand on my chest, feigning a hurt look, "Why do you think so poorly of me?"

"There's no way I could've won. You got Ares' Blessing, didn't you?"

"Yeah, I've never lost a fight in my life." I took a swig of beer, wishing it was the Olympian stuff.

Red sauntered over with our food. She served David first, leaning over the table far more times than was necessary in order to give him several glimpses down her shirt. Annoyed by the fact that I still hadn't gotten my food, I cleared my throat loudly. I raised my head and looked her directly in the eye. She sighed loudly before she met my gaze and I felt a small twinge of satisfaction as all the blood drained from her face. I grabbed her arm and pulled her closer so I could whisper in her ear.

"Listen, I don't want any trouble. I just want my food. After I eat, I'm gonna give you a big tip and then I'm gonna leave. Once I walk out that door, you forget you ever saw me. If you tell anyone about me, I will hunt you down. And when I find you, I'll cut your skin off, slowly, layer by layer. Then I'll rip your eyes out and shove them down your throat so you can watch as I pull your intestines out of your body with my bare hands. Got that?"

The woman looked like she might have a heart attack. She nodded vigorously and I let her go. She placed my food on the table and I was pleased to see that her hands were shaking badly. Red scurried back to the kitchen like a frightened rabbit retreating to its hole. David looked at me, eyebrows raised.

"Damn, you're effing terrifying. I nearly shit myself."

I shrugged nonchalantly and took a huge bite of my burger. It was probably the most amazing thing I'd ever eaten. I let out a soft moan of happiness.

"I'd give anything to have you look at me like you're looking at that burger," David joked.

"You don't taste anywhere near this good," I mumbled around another bulging mouthful of the heavenly food.

"Wanna test that?"

"Maybe later." I finished my first burger, ate half the fries, and started on the second burger.

David stuffed his mouth with fries, "I'm holding you to that."


	25. Chapter 25

****David****

Lex wolfed down her second burger and the remaining fries in minutes. I gave her half of my burger and we split the cherry pie. After we'd finished eating, Lex muttered something about Olympian beer so I went to talk to the bartender. Thankfully, he had some in a back room, and I brought four bottles back to the table.

Lex's eyes lit up when she saw the beer and she thanked me. We tapped bottles together in a toast and she drank half the bottle in one gulp. I drank mine slower, savoring the buzz it gave me.

"I need a smoke."

I searched my pockets for cigarettes or a lighter but found nothing. A guy pulled up a chair and sat down next to Lex. He had black hair and bloodshot watery-gray eyes. He pulled a pack of smokes out of his pocket.

"Cigarette, hon?"

Lex took a cigarette and leaned close to the guy who lit it with a lighter. "Thanks."

"No problem, hon," the man smiled greedily and placed his hand on her thigh. I felt my fists clench in anger and jealousy.

Lex took a few thoughtful puffs on the cigarette as if giving the man a chance to move his hand. When he started inching his way higher, she grabbed his wrist and twisted it sharply to the left. I heard a crunch and the man screamed in pain. Lex let go of him and he fell to the floor, swearing and whimpering, cradling his broken hand. A few of the bar's patrons glanced over at us when the man began screaming but turned back to their food or beer.

"Hands to yourself," Lex looked down at the man with disgust.

He eventually dragged himself away, muttering curses under his breath. Lex turned her attention back to me, her cigarette held loosely between her forefinger and middle finger. She noticed my clenched fists and a shadow of a smile tugged at her lips.

"Jealous about something?"

"That guy was a creep." I opened my fists and rolled my beer bottle between my palms.

Lex shrugged and took a sip of her beer, "I've dealt with my fair share of creeps."

"Just out of curiosity, do you always break creeps' hands? Or was that guy lucky?"

"Usually the arm, whether that's wrist, hand, or fingers. Sometimes if the guy pisses me off enough, I'll smash a nose or crack some ribs," Lex explained, as if accustomed to these types of conversations.

"I see. Remind me not to ever get on your bad side."

Lex blew a cloud of smoke, watching it float lazily through the air. I looked at her, simply enjoying not being attacked or threatened. She finished her first beer, popped the lid off the second and downed half.

"Take it easy. I don't wanna have to carry you back home."

"You calling me fat?" Lex stubbed her cigarette out in her hand, not a flicker of emotion passing over her face.

I held my hands up in mock surrender, "No way. I'd never do that. I like living."

"Good answer." Lex drank the rest of the beer in the bottle and snagged my second one. "You gonna drink this?" she asked, then took a gulp.

"Guess not," I chuckled, finishing my first beer.

Lex finished the third beer, pulled a twenty out of her pocket, and tossed it on the table. She stood then walked to the bar and paid for a six pack of Olympian beer. She jerked her head toward the door and walked outside. I followed her and stood on the porch beside her. We were standing so close together that the sleeve of her jacket brushed mine.

"You know what would be awesome?"

Lex glanced at me, "What?"

"Get a big pickup, lay down in the truck bed and watch the stars."

"I'm game. You got a truck?"

I smiled, "Actually, I do. C'mon."

Lex grabbed my shoulder and I teleported to my father's non-Underworld mansion. We walked around the enormous house until we got to the garage. I led Lex inside and she let out a low whistle when she saw all the fancy cars. I found the keys that I was looking for and into the bright red 2015 Ford F-150 pickup. Lex hopped into the passenger seat and I started the truck. I backed out and then floored it.

We drove for about an hour until I found the perfect spot off the main road. I followed a rarely used dirt trail that lead to a natural clearing in the woods. I parked and we got out. I found a blanket under the back seat and spread it out in the truck bed. Lex climbed up into the bed and opened a beer. I laid down next to her and helped myself to a beer as well.

Lex scooted a little closer to me and rested her head on my chest. I could smell her wild cherry blossom shampoo. We laid like that for what seemed like forever. I would've been content to lay there for the rest of my life watching the stars. Lex had lain quietly for so long that I thought she'd fallen asleep. Suddenly, she raised her head up and looked at me.

"Thank you," she murmured softly.

"I didn't do anything. I just-"

Then she kissed me. Warmth exploded through my body. I could taste the beer on her lips. My mind froze and my body acted of its own accord. I wrapped my arm around her waist and pulled her close then I kissed her back, deeply. Lex made a pleased noise and broke the kiss. I felt my heart pounding in my chest. She looked at me, the bottomless pools of her eyes swirling with indecision. I buried my fingers in her long hair and captured her mouth with mine. Lex put a hand on my chest and gently pushed me away, a small smile on her lips.

"You _definitely_ taste better than that burger."


	26. Chapter 26

****Lex****

My eyes opened slowly. I looked at my surroundings through half-closed lids. _Where am I? Oh, yeah._ Sunlight streamed through the trees and birds chirped happily. I could smell the small rodents scurrying around, searching for food. I was in the bed of a truck, curled up next to David. He was so warm that I didn't want to move away from him. _Pants? Check. Shirt? Check. What did I do last night?_ The memory of kissing him flooded into my mind. Nothing else had happened. We slept, but it was just that, sleeping. No sex. _Thank the gods._

I sat up and carefully extricated myself from David's arms. He stirred slightly but didn't wake up. My shoulder, the one bearing Hades' mark, tingled slightly. _Shit, Hades has orders for me._ I hopped out of the truck bed and had almost made it to the edge of the clearing when black smoke poured from the shadows and engulfed my body.

I was standing in the arena, my wrists bound with several feet of rope and wrapped in chains. I took a quick inventory of my surroundings. No heartbeats, no sounds of breathing or rustling clothes, no fresh scents. I was alone, for the moment at least. I rolled my shoulders and snapped my restraints as if they were wet paper. I didn't bother trying the doors because I could see that they were locked. I could easily escape, but I decided to stay and wait it out.

"What do you want, Hades?"

Instantly, I picked up the god's putrid scent and I heard the material of his cloak shifting as he moved. I knew exactly where he was but I didn't move. I would let him do the talking.

"So, you delivered my message to your father?" More of a statement than a question. "I hear he didn't take the news too well. This calls for a celebration." The scents of tobacco, glass, paper, and beer drifted towards me.

 _So this bastard is trying to bribe me with alcohol and smokes? I'm cool with that._ I turned and faced Hades. He stood up in the stands with a six pack of Olympian's Best in one hand, a pack of cigarettes in the other. I cleared the barricade, the one that kept the spectators safe from whatever was happening in the arena, in a single leap.

"What's this? A bribe?" I gave Hades a cold smile as I took a bottle, "I'm listening. You have a job for me?"

"Yes, in a sense."

"What do you mean?" I was suspicious.

"David's birthday is coming up-"

"Oh, how sweet."

Hades continued as if I'd never interrupted him, "And I wanted to give him a special gift."

"Thoughtful." I sat on one of the long stone benches that served as bleachers and drained the beer.

"You should really be more respectful, Alexis. Especially since I own you."

I hid my small flash of annoyance by crushing the empty bottle with my bare hand. I sat, looking bored, and began picking bits of glass out of my palm. "The name's Lex."

"I'll call you whatever I want. You belong to me."

"You've mentioned that," I sighed, rolling my eyes. Ignoring the glass still embedded in my hand, I snagged another beer and opened the pack of cigarettes. "You got a light? No, wait, I've got one."

Hades looked like he might explode for a moment, then he collected himself and watched me smoke. "Smoking is bad for your health, you know."

"Good thing I'm practically immortal."

"I need you to retrieve an item for me," the god explained as if I'd never spoken. I didn't react, waiting for him to elaborate, which he did. "There's a party in Seattle, high end, very exclusive, invitation only. I want David and Sophia to go but the host isn't going to give away two invitations, at least not willingly. Which is where you come in."

"You want me to bully some guy into giving you some tickets to his party? No offense, but why can't you just go all God-of-Death on him?"

"Because," Hades paused for much longer than necessary. He looked like he was enjoying this way too much, "The host is Dionysus."


	27. Chapter 27

****Nathan****

I sat on the floor of the pool in the deepest end, twelve feet. Underwater, everything was calming and safe and beautiful. I relaxed in the cool water for hours, allowing it to cocoon me, melting away all my worries and fears. I felt as if I could stay there for years.

I sensed Caleb becoming restless, so I surfaced reluctantly. I saw Caleb swimming a few laps around the pool but he seemed preoccupied, distracted by something. I climbed out of the pool and Caleb followed suit. He grabbed a towel and started to dry himself off. Since I was the son of Poseidon, the water hadn't actually gotten me wet so I touched Caleb and called the water into my hands, drying him instantly. I deposited the water back into the pool as Caleb watched in amazement.

"Whoa, that is so cool!"

I smiled, "Most people think kids from Poseidon are weak because we can control water but everyone always forgets how powerful and important water actually is."

Caleb still seemed pensive. I looked at him, slightly curious. "Is something wrong?"

"Well," Caleb looked at the ground, refusing to make eye contact with me, "I'm worried about Lex."

"What do you mean?"

"She's not back yet. And she hasn't contacted to let us know the coast is clear."

"Caleb, Lex is an unstoppable force. She can definitely take care of herself. You know, one time, I was five and she was seven, almost eight, and Ares used to come by our old crappy apartment. I'm not really sure why, he didn't really seem like he loved Mom, at least not the way that Poseidon did, but he used to come over every now and then. So he was in the apartment, talking to Lex about something, I don't even remember, and he was getting really angry for some reason. He started yelling at Mom and I could tell it was pissing Lex off. I was getting mad too, Ares has that effect on people. So I ran up to him, little bitty five year old me. I ran right up to Ares and threw this tiny ball of water in his face. He just looked down at me then drew his sword and I swear I was gonna die right then and there. In fact, if Lex hadn't been there, I _know_ I would be dead. So, anyway, Lex just turns her arm into a sword and jumps in front of Ares. She was fast enough to shove me out of the way but she wasn't fast enough to get herself out of the way. Ares cut her, nearly took her arm off. She still has the scar but she usually covers it up. She didn't stop though. She just jumped on him and actually cut him across his right eye. He still has the scar. He never came back after that. She wasn't even eight years old when that happened. Don't worry, she can take care of herself."

Caleb smiled. "I'd always wondered where the scar came from but I never had the courage to ask."

"Well, now you know." I let out a sigh. "So, what now?"

"We can go explore the city. Lex said to relax and for you to have fun until she came back."

"Okay." Inside, I felt rotten. My sister was literally in _Hell_ because of me. And what was I doing? Going on about my life and partying with the money that she'd collected by murdering people. Not exactly the plan I'd had in mind for my life. However, I didn't really have any other option.

Ten minutes later, Caleb and I sat in a tour bus, listening to the middle-aged driver give a rather bland explanation of the landmarks and various points of interest along the way. Caleb sat stiffly upright and kept glancing around at the other bus riders, as if he expected them to jump up and start trying to kill me. His left leg constantly bounced up and down with a nervous energy that he never seemed to get rid of.

"Dude, chill," I said after he gave the other passengers a lookover for the seventh time.

"Can't," he replied, still looking around, "Gotta keep you safe."

"Caleb, we're on a bus. You've given all the people the death glare, like, four times. You need to relax."

"Can't let my guard down."

I placed a hand on his shoulder and felt the flow of calming energy that streamed from my hand into Caleb's body, slowing the swift current of his nervous energy. Caleb's entire body relaxed, the spring-like motion of his leg stopped, and his eyes closed for a moment. He opened his eyes and heaved a long sigh.

"Wow."

I laughed and removed my hand, stemming the flow of energy between Caleb and I.

"How'd you do that?"

"Another Poseidon trick. Water is soothing and so I can calm people, but I have to be touching them to do it."

Caleb took another deep breath, his eyes half-closed. "I feel like I've been drugged."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a cute redhead watching me from over the top of a paperback novel. I smiled at her and she instantly hid her face behind the pages. I looked at her until she peeked over the book again. I waved and she waved back shyly. I smiled and turned to Caleb. He was staring out the window in peaceful bliss. Getting away from him would be no trouble at all.

"Don't worry, it'll wear off soon. Plus, the tour's almost over. Relax, man."


End file.
